36 Sins of the Father
by ARtheBard
Summary: In March Reid and Garcia had visited the Big Sur area of California to try to convince officials there was a serial killer in the area. They were rebuffed. Now a natural disaster has revealed that the killer was even worse than the BAU knew. Can the team find him before he adds to his kill total?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A lot of people were worried that since I didn't leave a cliffhanger at the end of the last story that I am done with my little AU. No worries! As long as the voices in my head keep talking to me I will keep writing. :o)**

**Enjoy!**

**-AR**

* * *

On Emily's second week back, Garcia gets a call just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

"FBI BAU Penelope Garcia," she answers professionally…since it's coming in from outside the building.

"Is this Agent Garcia?"

She grins since this mistake is made a lot. "It's Technical Analyst Garcia. I work with the BAU agents."

"Ah, right. Sorry," the woman says.

"No problem. Happens all the time. How can I help you today?"

"You and a Dr. Spencer Reid came out to see us last Spring about some pictures that had been found. We…we ignored you. We were wrong."

Garcia's jaw had dropped open. "Oh…oh my God. You have evidence we were right?"

"You could say that. We had a bad wildfire here over the summer. Burned for days, thousands of acres scorched. State scientists heading up to check on growth and regeneration in the forest found bodies. Lots of bodies. Autopsies showed signs of torture before they were killed." She takes a deep breath. "And we matched 3 so far to the women you all presented to us."

"Oh, God…how…how many?" Garcia asks.

"So far they've brought 22 bodies out of the woods. Forensic teams are still working on exhuming more. It was some bastard's personal cemetery up there and had the fire not happened it would still be in business. One of the other bodies we ID'ed was a girl that went missing in August about a week before the fire."

"Shit. Okay, let me get your name and number. I'll talk to Chief Hotchner and be back in touch with you with our ETA."

"Thank you, Agent Garcia. Uh, I mean, Analyst Garcia."

Garcia get the detective's information and then hurries to Hotch's office, stopping long enough to grab the case file out of the watch bin which is now in her office. Emily is standing at the copier when Garcia hurries by. The brunette glances down into the bullpen.

"Case up, guys."

Reid and JJ look up as Garcia makes her way into Hotch's office. They immediately start to prepare their desks for quick pack up in case they are leaving. Emily takes her copies back to her desk, automatically prepping for travel…before she remembers she won't be going. She looks up and sees Reid staring at her with concern. Emily gives him a grin.

"Oops. Forgot."

He chuckles. "Don't let Rocky hear you say that."

Emily smiles and nods. JJ grins at her wife.

"She should make sure her wife doesn't hear it next time, too."

Emily just winks at JJ as Hotch walks out of his office with Garcia. "Team, conference room now."

In minutes they are gathered as Garcia keys up the information she and Reid had presented to the authorities.

"You all might remember Reid and I having to go to Big Sur last March regarding some pictures that were found. Well, fast forward to early September and a wildfire that tore through that area which unearthed the burial ground for the unsub they didn't believe existed. They have 22 bodies so far and evidence of more. Forensic teams are still at work in the area."

"Holy shit," Reid mutters and gets up quickly, leaving the conference room.

Morgan looks up sharply. "Tell them to stop until we get there. It will help to see it as it was found."

Hotch nods. "I made that call already."

"And I made a note to make sure to say that next time I get a call like this," Garcia assures him. "Sorry about that."

JJ smiles at her. "This is a new type of case and you're still in your learning curve."

Garcia gives her a grin. "So far in addition to the 3 Reid and I presented, they have 5 more victims for us, including one woman who went missing right before the fire. And so far all the women have gone missing from San Francisco."

Emily is staring at the photos. "If you can get me everything on the bodies they've identified and the ones your initial investigation turned up I can start a victim profile."

Hotch nods. "Good idea. We need to know who these women are and how they came into the unsubs universe. Wheels up in-"

Reid walks back in with two large accordion files. He sets them on the table and looks around. "It was my bottom drawer case."

All the agents nods, understanding there is always that one unsolved case that can't be let go of until it is solved.

Emily sits forward. "Can I assume you have victim profiles on the women you and Garcia ID'ed?"

"Yes. Those are the files still in my desk."

JJ stares at the two huge files on the table. "Then what are these?"

"Like crimes, other unsolved murders, missing women who match the victim-type in the pictures, my thoughts on what the hell happened in those woods to those women."

Hotch nods. "We'll take them with us. Garcia, start your magic. Emily, get on the victim profiles, make sure to get the new information from the detective. Rest of you, wheels up in 30."

The team nods and separates to get ready to go. From her desk, Emily sees JJ stare at her 2 electronic picture frames a moment.

"You okay, Jen?"

JJ nods. "I will be. Funny, I've been away since she was born. But it feels weird to go with you and her here. It makes no sense to feel this wonky about it."

Emily smiles. "Maybe not. But I was the same way about you and Henry."

JJ finishes putting files in her briefcase and picks up her go bag. She looks at Reid as she tosses Emily her car keys.

"Spence, can I hitch a ride with you to the airstrip? Just need to stop and see Rocky first."

Reid nods. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Emily walks JJ to the elevator. "You be safe."

JJ smiles. "Always."

Emily laughs. "Right. You do realize I know this team as well as you, right?"

JJ grins. "Well…I always _try_ to be safe."

"That I can believe." Emily pulls her into a hug. "See you in a few days, Mrs. Prentiss," she whispers in her ear.

"I can't wait, Mrs. Prentiss. I love you," JJ whispers back.

"I love you, too."

They share a quick, simple kiss as the doors to the elevator open. Emily waves as the doors close. As she walks back to her desk, Reid is frowning.

"Reid? Everything okay?"

"I have a lot of codes in my notes. I figured that way if we did get called in no one would be biased by my speculations." He looks up and meets Emily's eyes. "You are probably the only one that would understand them without a key."

She smiles. "Handsome _and _smart. You're a double threat, Reid." He grins. "I'll make my own profiles first then cross them with yours. Sound good?"

He nods. "Yeah. Hopefully you'll find what I've missed. I kept feeling something was staring me right in the face but I couldn't see it."

"Maybe I'll see it and together we can get justice for these women."

"I hope so. See you, Em."

"Bye, Reid."

Soon Emily is the only profiler on her team left. She takes the information Garcia had on the identified remains and starts to prepare her murder boards.

* * *

In the day care center, JJ lifts up Rocky and gives her a kiss. "You be good for Mama now, okay? Make sure she gets some sleep. And don't you go growing too much while I'm gone." She gives her another kiss. "I love you, Rocky."

She gently places her back in the crib. She winds up the musical mobile and smiles as Rocky seems to reach towards it. JJ runs her hand through her daughter's dark locks.

"So beautiful. I miss you already, sweet girl."

Quickly, like pulling off a Band-Aid, JJ turns and hurries out of the day care center. She meets up with Reid just as he gets off the elevator and together they make their way to the airstrip for the flight to California.


	2. Chapter 2

Emily commandeers the round table room considering how many victims she could eventually be profiling. She sets up two murder boards, one with known victims and one with a map of the Big Sur area. She glances at Reid's files and then sighs. It would be so easy to glance at them…but easy causes errors, she remembers one of her Academy professors beating into the cadets.

She glances at her watch. She can't do much until she gets the full backgrounds on the identified victims from Garcia. But she could go down and see if Rocky is ready to eat. She calls Garcia.

"Pen, I'm going down to the day care center. Rocky should be ready to eat about now. I'll give you a call when I get back up here to see if you have info for me on the victims."

"Sounds good. Give the little princess a kiss for me."

Emily smiles. "You know I will."

When she gets down to the day care center, Matilda smiles at her. "Good timing. Little Miss Prentiss just started fussing."

Emily smiles and winks. "Mother's intuition…and good point to break in the new case."

Matilda's laughter follows Emily over to the cribs. She leans over the one where her daughter lies.

"Hey there, Blue Eyes. Hungry?" Rocky waves a hand at Emily. Emily smiles. "I'll take that as a yes, Mama, hurry up."

She takes her and moves to one of the privacy cubicles. She turns the music list on her phone on low, playing classical music as she gets ready. Rocky is soon hungrily nursing. Emily grins at her.

"You act like I haven't fed you in days, Rock. Of course, maybe you have the appetite of a football player and we should start measuring you for cleats. Is that it? You going to make your Mommy proud by being the first woman in the NFL?"

After spending 45 minutes with her daughter, Emily heads back up to the BAU floor. She starts to call Garcia but the analyst walks into the conference room at that moment.

"Ah, good timing. How was she?"

Emily smiles. "Eating like a linebacker."

Garcia chuckles. "Good for Jayje! And good for you remembering a football term!"

Emily shrugs with fake modesty. "I try."

"Right. Anyway," Garcia hands Emily a flash drive. "Here is everything I know about our victims: credit card history, work history, for one her arrest record, for another her seriously bad driving record, and everything else I could dig up on them. I just spoke with the detective out there and she said the ME is just waiting on final confirmation on 2 more victims and as soon as I have their identity I will run them and get them to you."

"Excellent as always, Garcia." Emily studies her a moment. "Uh, you kept up with this case, didn't you? Like Reid?"

Garcia sighs and leans against the wall. "Sort of. As much as I could with all the other cases I tip-toe through each day. But this one means a lot to me. It's the first time Hotch actually sent me out with one of you guys to pitch a case to the locals. Got to say, I was pissed with how it turned out but it meant a hell of a lot to me that he trusted me with something so important."

Emily smiles. "We never give you enough credit, Pen. None of the cases we solve could be closed without you. And how many times have you saved our asses with either tracking our phones or by doing a 'thing' to protect us? We may not say it enough so let me say it now, you absolutely rock."

Garcia smiles, blushing. "Aw…I love it when you guys get all 'Garcia you're our hero' on me."

Emily chuckles. "Truth is we should do it so often you get sick of it." Garcia giggles. "So, staying with me since the team is on the West Coast?"

"Yeah. But we should still probably drive separately since you will need to keep as normal a schedule as possible for the little princess."

"True. Well, let me get started on the victim profiles. I'll call you if I need you."

Garcia nods and heads back to her lair as Emily plugs in the flash drive and starts to dig into the lives of the women who had died.

* * *

On the plane, the team had been pretty quiet, each going over the files of the women they knew. Reid was sitting rubbing his temples when JJ nudges his calf. He looks up at his friend, who sits across from him.

"You okay?" she asks with concern.

Reid nods. "Yes. Just trying to get my preconceived notions out of my head. Kind of hard with an eidetic memory."

JJ smiles sympathetically. "I bet. Anything I can do to help?"

"Know a way to give me retrograde amnesia just on these files?" he asks with a smirk.

JJ laughs. "Uh, let me look into that one."

Further jokes end as Hotch walks up. "So, first impressions?"

Morgan tosses his file on the table. "This guy has been killing a long time. There are bodies there that they think date back at least 10 years. He knows that area like the back of his hand. That's the only way he could find it time and time again."

"Could be someone that works in the forestry industry or in the park service," Rossi points out.

"Or just someone that grew up in that area," JJ points out.

Hotch nods. "Get Garcia on the computer."

JJ nods and patches through to Garcia. "How can I help you mere mortals?" Garcia says as her face pops up.

"Garcia, can you run local juvenile records from say, 20-30 years ago. Look for kids setting fires, torturing animals, beating up smaller kids. Most likely this unsub is in his late 30's to early 40's if the 10 year time frame holds true. But I'd feel better with a larger juvenile search to be safe."

"Right. And you're looking for someone who hits multiple times, right?"

"Exactly."

"Good. And just so you know, Detective Bryant just called. The ME positively identified two more sets of remains. I've emailed you and Emily the information. She is already working on the profiles of the other victims. As soon as I finish delving into the histories of these two unlucky ladies I will get her moving on those profiles."

"Good. Out of curiosity, anything jumping out at you so far on the profiles, Garcia?" Hotch asks.

Garcia looks surprised. "You're asking me, sir?" she squeaks.

The profilers exchange grins as their chief nods. "Yes. You see all the backgrounds, all the connections between them. And you've been doing this enough years I trust you when you have an idea to streamline searches so I trust you as we build our initial impressions and profiles."

"Oh. Um…I see…well, I am flattered. Truly. But, uh, see this one is a little different, sir. I mean, I know I wasn't supposed to since it wasn't an active case but because you put so much trust in me to help Reid with presenting it the case kind of became personal to me so I didn't exactly just let it go to the watch bin like I was supposed to but it never interfered with other cases and-"

"GARCIA!" Hotch yells, stopping her ramble. "Breathe," he says with a grin. She takes a deep breath. "Garcia, it's okay if you kept looking into it. I know there are cases that get their hooks into all of us. You're no exception. If, like Reid, you don't feel comfortable throwing out your opinion I understand."

Garcia breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir. There is one theory I have about the case."

"And that is?"

"This unsub is one sick puppy."

Hotch grins. "I think we can all agree with that one"

Morgan sits up. "Hey, he is a sick puppy! He took pictures with actual film." He looks at the computer screen. "Garcia, he is either a professional or amateur photographer. If he is local we may be able to get a hit on someone buying their developing equipment. There is no way he could send that film out to be developed."

Hotch nods. "Good point."

"On it, sir. Will let you know what I find." Garcia signs off to start a search on this new lead.

Hotch looks at his team. "Get some rest. Thanks to the time change we'll get to work late tonight."

"Gee, lucky us," Rossi says with a grin.

Hotch smirks. "Morgan, JJ, Rossi, I want you three to go right to the burial ground. Control what is going on and how many people are working on it. If there is media, direct them back to the precinct so I can try to get control of what the press is saying. Reid, I want you in touch with Emily. The two of you need to work together on the victim and geographic profiles."

He nods. "Okay. Now that we know more victims we will hopefully have enough points to start to see the unsubs comfort zone."

"Good. Depending on how things are going at the burial ground and the fires we have to put out with the press we will have to figure out how to go see the families and friends of the victims. I'll make the decision on who gets to make those visits when we know more."

* * *

Back at Quantico, Emily sits on the edge of the conference room table studying the two maps in front of her. One shows the burial ground, the places where each woman was found pinpointed based on GPS markers used by a very thorough forensic team. The other map shows where the women lived and where they were last scene.

"What got you from there to there?" Emily asks quietly. "What put you on this guy's radar?"

She turns to the pictures of the women. Hair colour varied, eye color varied. Height was close but not exactly the same; within 3 inches of each other so it could be a type. But that just doesn't feel right to Emily.

With a sigh, she picks up the financial records of the women and starts the tedious process of going over where they spent their money…well, at least their traceable money: credit cards, checks, debit cards, monthly bills. She is midway through the second woman's financials when the alarm on her watch goes off.

"Crap. Good thing I set my alarm." She stands and packs the financials of the 8 victims in her briefcase, figuring she can work on them after Henry and Rocky are in bed. She is nearly done when Garcia walks in.

"I just put the profiles of the two newest known victims in the share file on the server."

Emily nods. "Okay. I'll get on those first thing in the morning. I'll finish what I have tonight at home. If you need me, call. If I don't answer it's either dinner time for one of my kids or bedtime."

Garcia smiles. "Awww…that's so sweet. I was worried you'd get so into all this you'd forget to go home."

Emily grins at her. "That's what this visit was about, wasn't it?"

Garcia shrugs. "Maybe a little."

"Well, just so you know, I was worried I'd get sucked in." She holds up her wrist. "Set my watch for 5:30 to be safe." Garcia laughs. "If you talk to the team, let them know I hope to have something for them on the financials tomorrow."

"Will do. See you later, Princess."

"I'll leave the light on for you, Pen."

Emily slings her briefcase over her shoulder and heads down to get Rocky. "Hey, big girl, ready to go home?"

Rocky doesn't answer…because she's asleep. Emily smiles as she gets her into her fleece sleep sack. Emily takes her out and gets her strapped into her car seat. She is glad they secured it in the middle of the backseat of the Hummer so even from the driver's seat she can see the little girl.

Emily climbs into the driver's seat and starts to chuckle. "You know, Rocky, I never think about the height difference between your Mommy and me until I get into a vehicle she drove last."

Emily adjusts the seat, the mirrors and steering wheel and they finally make their way home. When they walk in the garage door Henry runs to them.

"MAMA! WOK!" Then he stops and looks, his head tilted to the side. "Mommy?"

Emily kneels down. "Mommy had to go catch bad guys. But she will call in a little while. She loves you and told me to give you a hug and kiss."

Henry smiles. "Mommy 'pideyman."

Emily laughs. This is new. "Yep, yep she is just like Spiderman."

She stands and takes his hand as the three head on to the kitchen. She smiles at Francesca.

"Hi. Jen and the team are in California. May be there a few days at least."

"Bad case?"

"Very. Serial with a lot of years under his belt."

"Ah…terrible."

Emily nods. "Yes. But, I am home and I believe it's time for Henry's dinner, isn't it?" She says as she looks down at him.

He nods happily. "Si!"

Francesca smiles. "How about I take Rocky and you help Henry with dinner. Chicken parmesan for you; fish sticks and carrots for him."

Emily groans. "Ugh. Fish sticks."

Francesca just laughs, knowing before Rocky was born Emily would have wanted to trade dinners with the little boy. As Francesca heads upstairs Emily and Henry head into the kitchen. She gets a Wet One and cleans off his hands before putting him into his highchair.

"So, juice or milk, Champ?"

"Dooce!"

Emily nods. "Good choice." She fills his sippy cup and puts his dinner in front of him. As she sits down with her own dinner, Henry holds out a bit of fish to her. She smiles.

"Thanks but no thanks, Champ. Your sister may have turned me off fish forever." He grins impishly. "Yeah, I know. That means more for you." She cuts a tiny bit of her chicken parm and offers it to him. He takes it and chews, his eyes getting wide and happy.

"MMMMM!"

Emily chuckles. "Yep, I think you definitely have Father's Italian genes in you." She gives him another little bite, tickled when he eats that, too.

* * *

Emily is getting ready to sing Henry his lullaby when her cell phone rings. Henry gets excited…he knows that ringtone.

"MOMMY!"

Emily chuckles and hits the answer button, giving the phone to Henry.

"Hi Mommy! Mommy 'pideyman!"

JJ starts to chuckle. "Hi, Henry. Did you say I'm Spiderman?"

"Si, 'pideyman!"

"Well, okay then. I sure hope your Mama can explain that one. Did she tell you I had to go chase the bad guys?"

"Si! 'pideyman!"

JJ thinks a second and then it hits her. "Ahhh! I'm like Spiderman getting the bad guys!"

"Si, Mommy," Henry says as if she should have understood that the entire time.

JJ chuckles, feeling her heart lighten. "You are so smart, Henry. It is so good you made that connection. I love you so much, Little Man."

"Love Mommy." He then launches into a monologue on his day and his dinner. He finishes with. "Parm MMMM!"

"That's so great, Henry. Think I can talk to your Mama?"

"Si. Love Mommy. Nite Mommy."

"Goodnight, Henry. I love you."

Henry hands Emily the phone. "Hey, baby. I guess you all made it?"

"Yeah. There was a storm so we had to circle a bit before landing but Rossi, Morgan and I are on our way to the burial site. Word has it we may be spending the night up there since there is ice at that elevation because, lucky us, it is unusually cold."

"Gee, lucky you."

"Right. At least they have a cabin up there for us to use. I'd still rather get off the mountain and to a hotel but so it goes, right?"

Emily smiles. "That's what Vonnegut said."

"Right. So, I'm going to let you get Henry to bed. I just needed to speak with him."

"I know, sweetheart. Call me if you want. I will be working on the financials of the 8 initial victims tonight. Should keep me up a while."

"Ugh. Lucky you. Rather be in the field than pouring over financials."

"Me, too, you brat."

JJ chuckles. "Sorry. Well, if you go to bed before you hear from me drop me a text. I love you, Em."

"Love you, too, Jen. Be safe."

"Always."

Emily hangs up and looks at Henry. He has already fallen asleep. She kisses his forehead and, for her, goes ahead and sings his lullaby. She stands and lays him in his crib. She brushes a hand through his hair.

"Almost time to get you a big boy bed, isn't it? You are growing up way too fast, Henry. And yet I can't wait to see who you grow into. Crazy, huh? Get used to it. Your mother and I are both nuts," she warns the sleeping boy with a grin. She gives him one more kiss then heads to her bedroom to start work on her financial searches before Rocky wakes for her next feeding.


	3. Chapter 3

Morgan pulls up to the officer blocking the road. He pulls out his badge. "We're with the FBI. Detective Monica Bryant is expecting us."

The officer checks his approved list and nods. "Sure, Agent Morgan. Sorry I had to check. You'd be surprised some of the crap reporters will pull to get past me."

Morgan grins knowingly. "Trust me, Officer, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

The officer chuckles and moves the barrier so the agents can drive on in. Rossi nods in approval.

"So far it looks like they have done their best to limit access up here."

"True. But allowing a team of 20 to start digging up remains wasn't the best call," JJ points out.

"Maybe not. But I doubt anyone out here has ever seen anything like this," Rossi states diplomatically.

The team continues on until they arrive at the scene of the burials. JJ rolls her eyes.

"Please tell me they didn't use bulldozers to clear the area," she mutters.

The three agents get out and make their way to a woman walking towards them. Morgan flashes his credentials.

"Detective Bryant?"

"Yes."

"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan. This is SSA Jennifer Jareau and SSA David Rossi. Chief Hotchner and SSA Dr. Spencer Reid are at the precinct."

The detective chuckles. "So who did you all piss off to get this part of the detail."

Rossi grins. "The list is long and varied."

She nods. "I understand. Sorry about the rain and ice. Normally this area is much nicer this time of year. Blame global warming."

JJ nods, smiling. "Not a problem. Tell me, were the bulldozers used to clear debris from the burial site?"

Bryant sighs. "I swear it wasn't the fault of the police. One of the forensic idiots called for them because the crap left over from the fire was getting in his way. In case you're wondering, he is no longer on the case or employed by the county."

Morgan shakes his head. "So a lot of evidence was probably destroyed."

"Yeah. And some bones were pulverized. We actually got some archeology students in from a nearby university to assist. At least they know how to treat remains with respect. Of course, then you all asked us to hold on recovery."

Rossi nods. "It helps us get into the unsubs head; to see what he sees when he looks at the area. We already know he has no care about the women but why does he bring their bodies all the way up here? Why risk coming to this place again and again."

Bryant nods. "Yeah, I see what you mean. Well," she gestures back towards the yellow crime scene tape, "the scene is yours. If you have any questions, give me a holler."

The agents nod and make their way through the mud and muck to the burial location. They stand at the edge of the crime scene, each studying the holes marked as exhumed graves as well as ones showing potential graves. They can even see bodies, partially uncovered, like creatures trying to dig themselves out of their dirt resting place.

"I'm counting 37 confirmed and potential," Morgan notes.

Rossi nods. "We knew he was prolific."

They agents sigh and, almost as one, move under the crime scene tape and into the center of the graves. JJ slowly turns, picturing the now barren area instead green with trees and shrubs. She slowly shakes her head.

"This is pretty far off the road. And look at the signs of where trees were. It would not have been easy to dig all these graves because of roots. What makes this area special?"

Morgan stares down at the partially exposed remains of a woman. "He had to have known it. It meant something to him at some point in his life."

JJ walks over to another grave, this one empty. "No clothes, no jewelry, nothing to humanize his victims. By the time he was done with them they were just…just things to be discarded. Maybe he kept things as trophies?"

Rossi shakes his head. "Doubtful. He had the photos."

Morgan slowly turns and looks at Rossi. "Yeah, he did. Except for the rolls we ended up with. Why weren't those developed? And why did we get them anyway? He would have fought hell and high water to get them back."

"Has anyone talked with the hikers that found the camera case?" Rossi asks.

JJ shrugs. She pulls out her phone to call Garcai. "Shit. No signal."

The others check but they too are out of range. Morgan shrugs.

"We'll check on that with Bryant."

As the trio had studied the scene, the icy shower had turned into an all out downpour. Rossi starts to walk towards the far side of the scene. JJ is about to ask Morgan a question when they hear the older agent yell in Italian.

"Oh, that's not a good word," JJ mutters, having learned its meaning from Emily.

They turn and see Rossi has found a sinkhole and is up to his knees in mud. Morgan and JJ can't hide their amusement as they make their way over to him.

"Wow, Rossi, I don't think I ever realized just how into an investigation you get," JJ teases.

He glares at her, muttering a few more words in Italian. JJ laughs.

"Bad words, Rossi! Time out!" she jokes.

Before Rossi pulls his firearm, Morgan steps forward and offers the older agent his hand. With him pulling and Rossi struggling, they finally get him back on solid ground. JJ looks at Rossi's boots.

"Hope those weren't your expensive boots."

Rossi shakes his head. "Nope. But still not going to be able to get them cleaned and dried by tomorrow."

JJ shakes her head. "Probably-oh, crap…" she trails off as she looks beyond him.

The other agents look. In pulling Rossi out they had unearthed yet another body. Morgan sighs. "38."

* * *

Once the agents feel they have everything they need from the scene they step out beyond the tape. Bryant walks up to them.

"So, did the butler do it?" she asks with a serious face…then slowly breaks into a grin.

Morgan laughs, his eyes twinkling. "Actually we think it's the gardener. Our work is done. No autographs, please."

JJ and Rossi roll their eyes behind his back. Of course Detective Bryant was a beautiful woman, JJ thinks. Never hurts to flirt a bit with the locals, either. She'd done it many times as a liaison to smooth things over.

"So," JJ interrupts, "what points of entry would the unsub have had to get to this area?"

"There are 3 but the one you drove in on is the best. One is a fire road which is supposed to be closed to civilians but we make a lot of money on trespassing tickets every year so you can guess how secure that road is."

JJ nods. "I can imagine. In fact, we'll need a list of everyone ticketed on that road."

"How far back?" Bryant asks.

JJ looks at Rossi, who nods, letting her take the lead. "At least 5 years to start. That should give us a name or two repeating enough to point us in some direction."

Bryant nods. "I can email one of our techs. I warn you, it could take a while."

"How about your tech calls our tech? Trust me, she'll cut the time in half and keep your tech available for other cases."

Bryant nods and smiles. "Sold!"

JJ hands her a card with Garcia's information. Morgan looks at the two agents.

"Look, it's dark, wet and cold. How about we go to the cabin and hit this fresh in the morning?"

Rossi nods. "I like that idea. I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs from the knees down."

JJ looks at Bryant. "Is there a place to get dinner between here and the cabin?"

Bryant nods. "Sort of. There's a general store. I can call Malcolm. He will probably be closed but he'll open up when I tell him who you are. He wants this guy found since it's bad for business to have a serial killer in the backyard."

Morgan nods. "Thank you. So, uh, will you be here tomorrow morning?"

Bryant smiles. Yes, the agent was handsome and had a body to die for. But…

"Sorry, my husband and I will be at our son's recital for school. I won't be back out here until noon or so."

JJ and Rossi exchange a grin as the light in Morgan's eyes dies out. "Ah, okay. Well you all have fun and we'll see you at some point tomorrow."

"Right. Oh, and Agent Morgan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm flattered," she says kindly.

He nods, smiling. "I meant no disrespect. Your husband is a lucky man."

Bryant nods. "Thank you."

The agents make their way back to their SUV. As they get in, Rossi turns to look at JJ.

"Did you hear that?"

JJ stops a moment, listening. "You mean that whistling sound? Yeah? What is it?"

"That would be the wind going out of Derek's sails."

JJ and Rossi laugh as Morgan just nods his head, grinning.

"Alright, alright. You've had your fun. One more smart comment and I won't turn the heater on," he threatens good-naturedly.

He pulls out and starts down the mountain. JJ has just pulled off her FBI cap and is loosening her ponytail when she feels the SUV jerk.

"SHIT!" Morgan spits.

She grabs the ceiling strap as the vehicle fishtails wildly. Morgan struggles to get control but black ice is unforgiving. JJ hears a scream…and realizes it's her…as the vehicle goes off the side of the road down a steep embankment.

As if watching a movie, she sees a large tree getting closer and closer and then the deafening sound of metal hitting wood…

…and then silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily is twirling a pen in one hand as she looks for a common business listed between the two victims she is comparing. So far there is nothing. She shakes her head.

"Where the hell did you all meet him?" she mutters.

"Hi!"

Emily jumps in fright. "SHIT!"

Garcia's eyes get wide. "Oh, crap! Sorry, Em! I figured you'd heard me come in."

Emily drops her pen and sighs. "Sadly, I did. Just wasn't thinking." She sees Garcia smiling strangely. "What?"

"I've never seen you in your little nerd glasses. Too frackin' cute!"

Emily groans and pulls off the reading glasses she wears. "I only use them when I have to go over financial statements. So many tiny numbers. I mean, really, would it kill someone to put it in larger font?"

Garcia chuckles. "So these are just random glasses, no big deal?"

"Pretty much," Emily confirms.

Garcia giggles. "Only you would have Ralph Lauren designer throw-away glasses."

Emily chuckles. "Heaven forbid I don't have a designer name. The Ambassador would have a heart attack."

"Right. Well, I'm going to head to bed. I have a huge list of people that buy film development supplies. Who knew it was such a popular hobby still?"

Emily shrugs. "Kind of makes you wonder what they want to hide from the outside world."

"Oh, no! No, you will not drag me into your dark thoughts. All those people except 1 use their skills to make pretty pictures of flowers and butterflies and baby deer."

Emily smiles at her friend. "How do you stay so…so pure, Pen? And what would we do if you didn't?"

"I refuse to give into the ugly. I will delve into it long enough to get you all information but, unlike you kick-ass agents, I refuse to put myself in the minds of the skeevoids we catch. And as to your second question—not even worth worrying about. I will always be your little ray of light and hope."

Emily smiles. "Good. If that ever changes it will be time for me to switch careers." Just then Rocky starts to fuss. Emily smiles. "And my other ray of light and hope calls. Work is done for the night."

She gathers up the papers spread across the bed as Garcia moves to the bassinette. She lifts up Rocky.

"Hey, Rocky. Are you being good for Mama? I bet you are!" She sniffs. "Oh…geez…she needs to be changed." She glares at Emily, who is grinning. "And you knew it, too didn't you?"

Emily shrugs. "I suspected. I mean all she does at this stage is eat, sleep and poop. What did you expect?"

Garcia rolls her eyes. "Your Mama is a mean and evil troll at times, Rocky. Best you learn that now. Come on, little one, let's go get you changed so Mama can feed you."

Emily just chuckles as Garcia keeps up a monologue of how evil Emily is while changing Rocky. By the time they get back to the bedroom, Emily is ready to nurse. Garcia passes off the baby and settles in the recliner.

"Does it feel as weird as it looks?" Garcia asks.

Emily smiles. "Sort of. Every once in a while it's like I'm looking at myself and I think, 'Wow…your body is feeding a baby.' It can be a little unnerving. I find myself reviewing what I ate and drank all day and when I did to make sure nothing bad is in there for her."

Garcia grins. "I bet. She is just so pretty."

Emily stares at her daughter. "Yes, she is. Just like her Mommy."

"Aww…so sweet."

The two sit there for the next hour as Rocky eats, then burps, then is sung to sleep by her Mama. Both had needed the break. As Emily places her baby girl down in the bassinette, Garcia sighs in contentment.

"She is just so…so…oh…"

Emily nods. "I know. She is, isn't she?"

After a few minutes, Emily glances at her watch. "I hate to do this to JJ but I need to sleep. Those financials were giving me a headache. I think I'm going to text her goodnight and be ready to hit this again in the morning."

Garcia nods. "Me, too. Hotch called me just as I got here. Five more women have been identified. So far the San Francisco connection is holding steady."

Emily shakes her head. "It's crazy that all these women are from The Bay Area. He had to have cut his teeth somewhere else or at least had a victim catch his eye somewhere else."

"Well, with almost 40 victims so far it's possible we'll find another city. Just telling you what I know."

Emily nods. "I know. What time are you going in tomorrow?"

"Regular time. Until this starts to heat up I may as well work regular hours to try to have information waiting for them when they get in. Once it ramps up a bit I'll probably work later."

Emily nods. "Good plan."

Garcia nods. "See you at 7."

Emily nods. "Okay. Night, Pen."

The analyst heads down to her bedroom. Emily grabs her phone.

_"Jen, I am heading to bed. Hope you have defrosted. I love you, baby. Talk to you tomorrow."_

Emily plugs her phone in. She carries her daughter down to the nursery before making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.

* * *

At a police station across the country, Reid steps away from the map on the wall. He frowns.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asks.

"So far all the victims are from San Francisco. It doesn't make sense that there aren't women from other cities."

Hotch nods. "I agree. But there are still a lot of bodies left to ID."

"Maybe." Reid turns and looks at him. "Or this is the burial ground for his San Francisco victims only."

Hotch stiffens as he considers what Reid is implying. "Even if there are other sites, how the hell do we find them?"

"We may not until we catch the unsub. And when we do, if there _are_other sites, he'll be screaming for a deal before Morgan finishes ratcheting the cuffs."

Hotch nods. "True." He glances at Reid. "And who says it will be Morgan arresting him?"

Reid grins. "I do the nerd thing, Rossi does the sarcastic thing, JJ does the sympathetic shoulder, you do the stoic man on a mission, and Morgan cuffs the bad guys."

Hotch chuckles. "Stop profiling the team, Reid."

Reid laughs. "Not profiling. Just stating facts."

Hotch nods. "Right. So, what were your impressions of the unsub?"

Reid frowns. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Hotch nods. "Yes."

Reid starts to pace. "Male, late 30's to early 40's, loner, into fitness, handsome enough to attract this many women since none are hookers as yet so he didn't pay for their time, unable to maintain a healthy relationship because he can't share a life—he has to control his partner completely. And he will continue to torture and kill because it is the closest he comes to orgasm. He takes pictures throughout the process because it is all part of the ecstasy for him to know he is capturing them at their absolute worst."

"I agree. Which is why it makes no sense that he lost the camera bag."

Reid frowns. "You're right."

"He would have fought tooth a nail against an army to get the camera and those three rolls of film back."

Reid nods and pulls out the file on the "campers" that found the bag. "We need to re-interview them."

"Right. And have Garcia run backgrounds on them. Could be the unsub insinuating himself into the investigation or needing the recognition for all he has done."

Reid nods. "Right. I'll send her an email since she is probably home already. She can get it run in the morning."

Hotch nods. "Good. Are you about done here?"

"Yes. In the morning I should have the background on the women they identified today. Maybe there will be something in there to help us figure out what to ask their friends and family."

"Hopefully. At some point some of us will need to go to San Francisco to do those interviews but I don't want them done until we know all the questions we need to ask. The most important one being how did these women cross paths with our unsub."

The two stare at the murder board a moment, trying to figure out if they missed anything. Finally Hotch shakes his head. "Forget it for now. We'll hit it fresh in the morning. It's nearly midnight East Coast time. Let's head to the hotel." He glances at his phone. "Have you heard from Morgan, Rossi or JJ?"

Reid shakes his head. "No but there may not be any cell service at the burial site."

Hotch frowns. "They should be at the cabin by now. I'm sure Bryant said they would have service there."

Reid frowns. "Maybe the ice and storm is interfering?"

"Maybe. But when have we ever had that kind of good luck?"

Reid manages a nervous grin. Hotch hits Morgan's number but it goes straight to voicemail. The same happens with Rossi and JJ. Finally he tries Bryant's number and she answers immediately.

"Bryant."

"Detective Bryant, Chief Hotchner. Do you know where my agents are?"

Bryant sighs. "Yes, sir, I'm afraid I do. There was an accident."


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan sees the airbag deploying just before his eyes reflexively shut. By the time he opens them again the only sound he hears is his own pulse pounding in his head. He starts to smack the bag down.

"ROSSI! JJ!"

"I'm…I'm good," JJ mutters, trying to get her seatbelt undone. "Except my damn belt is jammed."

"Rossi?" Derek asks again. He looks at the older man and sees his eyes are closed, the side window shattered by the tree that hit just in front of the passenger's side of the vehicle, crumpling the front enough to deploy Morgan's airbag.

"SHIT! Jayje! He's out!"

JJ pulls out her pocket knife and makes quick work of her seatbelt. She sits forward and places her fingers on Rossi's neck. She breathes a sigh of relief.

"He's alive just unconscious. Looks like his head hit the window. I see some blood."

Morgan lets out the breath he had been holding. He gets his seatbelt undone and pulls out his phone. He sees he still has no signal.

"Do you have a signal?"

JJ pulls out her phone. "No. But I think we'll be okay."

She points up the hill at the two flashlights picking their way down the embankment. Morgan opens his car.

"We need an ambulance!"

They hear Detective Bryant answer them. "Already enroute. Saw you guys hit that ice and knew it could get ugly. What's the status?"

"Rossi is out. Head wound. JJ and I are okay."

Before she can respond, Rossi starts to groan. JJ gets as close to his seat as she can.

"Easy, Dave. You hit your head. We need you to stay still."

Rossi groans again. "Did we…at least…kick the trees…ass?"

JJ grins and looks out the window. "It will never be the same again now that the BAU is done with it."

"Good." He brings hand to his head to wipe the blood. "Damn. So much for my unblemished good looks."

"It's okay. Chicks dig scars," JJ assures him as he laughs. "Dave, the front is crushed in. Are your legs okay?"

He takes a moment to move them and assure himself they are okay. "Yeah…yeah, they're fine. Damn side airbag didn't deploy."

"Yeah, I see that," JJ says. "We'll make sure someone somewhere pays for that screw-up. Garcia will make sure to get revenge for her darling Rossi."

Rossi chuckles. "Yeah, I'm sure she will."

"I'm going to check on Morgan. Stay awake, old man. Or else."

He nods, then groans at the movement. "Right. Awake. Damn this is worse than a hangover."

JJ chuckles. "Don't I know it." She gets out and moves to Morgan's side. He is staring at the crumpled front end of the vehicle but she knows he is thinking about what might have been. "Hey, we're okay, Morgan. There is nothing you could have done against black ice."

"I wrecked, Jen."

"Yeah, you did. So what? Hell, Morgan, how many people could have kept an SUV of that size, loaded down with our gear, on its wheels as it went down that embankment? You saved our fucking lives. Don't make me ruin the good by kicking your ass for calling me 'Jen'," she warns him.

It has the desired effect. He chuckles. "You two really okay?"

"Rossi's head is nearly as hard as Emily's. He'll be fine. And I am better than okay."

"Better than okay? How is that possible?" he asks, unable to think about JJ dying with Rocky and Henry so young.

"Because I am soooo glad you wrecked the SUV. Now the number of phones I went through this year will pale in comparison to the budget money needed to fix this!"

Morgan bursts out laughing and pulls JJ into a hug. "You're a mess, you know that, right?"

JJ nods. "I know. You okay? Mentally and physically?"

He nods. "Yeah. Thanks, Jayje."

"Anytime, Derek."

Detective Bryant walks up to them. "EMT's should be here soon. Hate to say this but we're not going to risk pulling the vehicle out tonight. What do we need to get out of it?"

"Our luggage, our vests, hell anything that says FBI on it has to be secured," JJ answers.

"Gee, sounds like fun." She looks at Morgan. "Get with Sergeant Graham. He needs to run a breathalyzer on you just as SOP."

Morgan nods. "I understand. Once that's done I'll help you guys get stuff out and up the hill." He looks at the muddy slope. "This should be great fun."

Bryant nods. "Tell me about it."

An hour later they are muddy, soaking, and freezing. As JJ and Morgan get the last bag of FBI gear out of the SUV they see Rossi being dragged up the embankment on a litter. Morgan manages a smile.

"What do you want to bet those guys are getting a lesson in Italian curses?"

JJ grins. "Do I look like I take sucker bets?"

When they finally get up the hill, Bryant looks at them. "Just got off the phone with Chief Hotchner. He said for you all to call as soon as you get to the cabin."

Morgan nods. "Will do."

"Good. Graham will take you on to your cabin. Will you guys be able to make arrangements for tomorrow to get to the places you want to check out?"

Morgan nods. "Yeah, we'll come up with something."

"Okay then. I will see you all around noon tomorrow. Malcolm is still at his store if you want to stop for dinner. He'll have a pot of coffee on, too."

"Malcolm is my new best friend," JJ says, her teeth starting chatter now that she wasn't exerting herself.

Bryant laughs as the agents head over to Graham's car for the trip to the store and then to the cabin for the night. As they get in, they see the ambulance take off carefully down the road, lights and sirens going. Morgan sighs.

"He's okay, Morgan," JJ reassures him.

Morgan just nods.

* * *

An hour later, JJ steps into a steaming shower. She moans, the heat right away easing the ache in her muscles. She leans against the wall of the shower, watching the bathtub turn brown from all the mud coming off her body and hair.

"Never felt so good," she mumbles.

She takes the time to check her body carefully, seeing the expected bruising from her seatbelt across her thighs and shoulder. Other than that she is fine, just sore from the jostling she took when they hit the tree.

She regretfully ends her shower, not sure how much hot water the cabin had and knowing Morgan needed a good shower, too. She gets into her flannel sleep pants and a Yale t-shirt. Brushing her hair, she walks out into the living room.

"Shower is all yours. How pissed is Hotch?"

Morgan shrugs. "Not too pissed. Said no one can help black ice."

"Ah, smart man. Where have I heard that before?" she pretends to think. "Oh, yeah! Me! Believe us yet?"

Morgan chuckles. "Smart ass. Got the soup heating up. Try not to let it burn before I get out of the shower."

"I would like to point out _you _were the one that burned soup in Afghanistan, not me, thank you very much!" she says smugly.

"True. But you want to be so much like me you could follow suit," he says teasingly as he ducks into his room for clean clothes to change into.

JJ just shakes her head in amusement as she goes to keep her eye on their food…and stand over the stove to help chase the last of the chill from her bones.

* * *

Rossi winces as the physician's assistant puts the last butterfly bandage on his forehead. He winces again as Hotch steps through the curtains.

"Do I need to purchase helmets for the team?" Hotch asks as if serious.

The P.A. chuckles as Rossi groans. "No. But an SUV with the appropriate safety equipment would be good."

Hotch nods. "True. And a report has already been sent to the California office." He pats him on the shoulder as the P.A. leaves. "I'm glad you're okay, Dave. I've seen the preliminary pictures. It could have been a hell of a lot worse."

Dave nods. "You got that right. Truth is Morgan saved our asses. How he managed to keep us from rolling I'll never know. A commendation wouldn't be over the top."

"And would settle any lingering guilt he has over you being hurt."

Rossi grins. "That, too." Just then the attending doctor comes in. "So, Doc, can I get out of here now?"

The doctor nods. "All your tests come back that you're fine. You'll probably have a headache for a few days but with only a mild concussion you should be okay to sleep and resume normal activities." He grins slyly. "Unless you're a professional head-butter, in which case you'll need to take a few days off."

Hotch bursts out laughing as Rossi rolls his eyes. "Just what I need…a doctor who thinks he has a sense of humor."

The doctor smiles. "Sorry. Couldn't help it. I'll get your paperwork started. Uh, I do sort of have one request if it's okay?"

Rossi rolls his eyes again, "An autograph?"

The doctor pulls out a book from his pocket. "Would have rather had a hardback but paperbacks are easier to carry around for light nights. I really respect the work you have done with the BAU. Wish I could have met you at a book signing instead of this way but I can't pass up an opportunity."

Rossi smiles and takes the book and offered pen. "No problem." Rossi opens to the title page and writes:

_Thank you, Dr. Humphries, for turning a headache into an ego boost. Sincerely, David Rossi._

Hotch chuckles, having read it as Rossi wrote. The doctor takes it and smiles. "Glad I could help in more ways than one, Agent Rossi. Thanks."

He heads out. Hotch turns to Rossi. "So, old man, ready to get to the hotel?"

Rossi nods. "Definitely sounds better than a rustic cabin in the woods. Let's get the hell out of here."

Hotch nods, clapping Rossi on the back as the two men start to leave. Suddenly Rossi stops.

"Oh, crap…my go bag was in the SUV."

Hotch grins. "It's at the nurses station. JJ gave it to the EMT's."

Rossi smiles. "I knew I loved that girl for a reason."

"Don't let Prentiss hear you say that. She knows your reputation."

Rossi raises his eyebrow. "True."

Smiling, knowing things could have been a lot worse, the men head out hoping that the accident is their only excitement for the rest of the case.

* * *

**A/N: For those that thought JJ got hurt...tee hee hee...I'm such a stinker! :o)**


	6. Chapter 6

"You be a good girl today, alright? I don't want to hear you've been flirting with all the boys, okay?" Emily says to Rocky, who just waves her hands and smiles. Emily kisses her forehead. "I love you so much, Rock. So very much."

She hears the snap of a shutter and turns to see Garcia smiling, her phone at the ready position.

"Too sweet!" the analyst explains.

Emily just smiles and places her daughter down in the crib. "Think that's cute, watch this."

She winds up the Winnie the Pooh mobile. As the music starts and the dangling toys start to orbit, Rocky reaches towards it, making happy little noises. Garcia clenches her hands over her heart.

"Oh! Too freakin' adorable! I thought babies couldn't focus yet!"

"Normally they can't. But my daughter is extra exceptional, just like my son."

Garcia nods, thinking about it a moment. "True. Must be the Jareau genes." Emily turns and glares at her. "Hey, now, those are the only genes your two kids share!" she points out.

Emily frowns. "Hmm…good point. Maybe it's more nurture than nature."

Garcia pokes her good-naturedly. "Right. Keep telling yourself that, Princess."

Emily laughs and, with one more kiss for her daughter, she heads up to the BAU floor to see what information they can put together for the team to use when they get up in a few hours.

Emily drops her briefcase in the conference room and starts her computer, which she had left in there the night before. She then goes to Garcia's lair to see if the backgrounds on the 5 latest victims has finished. There are also the two victims whose information Garcia had put in the share drive last night. As much as she hates it, she knows she'll be diving through more financial records trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Financials done?" she asks as she walks in.

Garcia turns, her face pale. "Yep. And, uh, turns out there was a bit of an accident last night."

Emily's stomach does a flip. "What _kind_of accident?"

"Car. SUV went down a hill. All are okay. Rossi just has stitches but…God, Em, it looks so bad."

Garcia slides out of the way and lets Emily step up to the computer. Emily sucks in a breath as she sees the pictures of the SUV, the front right side wrapped around a tree. She swallows a couple times before finding her voice.

"Rossi was in the passenger seat?"

Garcia nods. "Yeah. The side air bag didn't deploy and his head hit the window, shattering it."

"Son of a bitch. How did they not roll?" she asks breathlessly.

"From what I can tell, it was Morgan's driving skills that kept them upright."

"Remind me to buy him something pretty," Emily says.

Garcia grins. "I will. Now, back to business, I'll put the latest financials in the share drive."

"Good. Send them to the printer, too. The two from last night, too. Maybe if I have them all out together I'll see what I feel I'm missing."

"Alright-roo. Let me know if I can be any help."

"Right. I'll be in the conference room."

Emily heads back to the room she is using. She knows the financials haven't finished printing yet so she pulls out her phone to send a text.

_"Jen, heard about the accident. Please call me. I just need to hear your voice. I love you, sweetheart. And tell Derek damn good job keeping it from being worse. Talk to you soon, baby."_

Emily then goes to the printer so she can start pouring into the financial history of 7 more women, knowing before the end of the day she would probably have even more to look at. She sighs. Sometimes the job just sucks.

* * *

When JJ starts to wake up she groans. Her body was reminding her that she was in an accident the day before and that she wasn't a teenager anymore. As she stretches she hears all sorts of creaks, pops and snaps. She chuckles.

"You're not even 40 yet, Prentiss. Geez," she teases herself.

She reaches over and picks up her phone. She smiles as she sees the text from Emily. She shakes her head. It is no surprise that Emily had already found out about an accident that happened well after she was supposed to have been done the day before. She hits her wife's work speed dial.

"Prentiss," Emily answers gruffly, not bothering to check the caller id.

JJ grins. "You sound pleasant this morning."

Emily sits up straight, dropping her pen and highlighter on the table. "Jennifer. Baby, are you okay? Really?"

"I'm fine. How the heck did you find out so soon?"

"Pen was sent the accident report for our official files."

"Ah, right. Shit, forgot about that."

"But you're okay?"

"I am, Emily. I swear. Rossi took the worst hit but even that wasn't too bad. Morgan saved our butts with his driving skills."

"Yeah, so I heard and saw. That would have been so much worse if you all had rolled."

"Tell me about it. I'm a bit sore today but I think that was from having to make multiple trips up that muddy slope to get FBI gear out of the SUV."

Emily chuckles. "Yuck. Glad I'm still on desk duty."

"Got to say…I am, too," she says emotionally.

"Oh, Jen…don't say it like that," Emily tells her wife sympathetically.

"Can't help it. Rocky needs you so much right now. God, Em, I am so glad you were home."

Emily sighs and decides to change the subject. "So what are your plans for today?"

"Local office will be dropping an SUV off to us here sometime this morning. Somehow it's Morgan and I tripping through the forest while everyone else is in the office again. Not quite right somehow," she says with a giggle.

Emily smiles. "Well, we know how much you two athletes love the out of doors."

"Oh, yeah. Just love icy rain and mud. Makes me miss my playing days…NOT!"

Emily chuckles. "Well, I hate to say this but I need to get back to these financials. I want to get through the newest ones before Rocky's morning feeding."

"How's my girl?"

"Adorable as ever. But like her brother they miss their mommy."

"I see. And does their Mama miss their mommy?"

Emily smiles. "Very much. And if I wasn't at work I would tell you in no uncertain terms just how much."

JJ shivers at the thought. "Damn, Em, the things you make me feel." She sighs as she checks her watch. "I guess I need to let you go. I'll let you know if Morgan and I are staying out here tonight or going to the hotel."

"Okay. I love you, sweetheart. Stay safe today."

"I'll do my best. I love you, too."

"Bye, Jen."

"Bye, Emily."

Emily hangs up her phone and sits in her chair for a minute. Yes, it could have been so much worse but it wasn't.

"Stop dwelling on the 'what if's', Prentiss. Concentrate on solving the case and getting her home."

With that new resolve, she gets back to work, finally finishing the last report just as she needs to go downstairs to nurse her daughter.


	7. Chapter 7

Just after 9 a.m. PST, a new SUV is dropped off for JJ and Morgan. Morgan looks at JJ as they repack it with all their gear.

"You want to drive?"

"Hell, no," she answers immediately.

He smiles at the confidence she feels in him and hops into the drivers seat. As she gets in the passenger side, JJ looks at the door.

"Know a way to check to see if the airbags are working?"

"Come on, now, we've already had our accident. Won't happen again."

She gives him a look. "You _do_ know this team's luck, right?"

He laughs as he pulls out to head to the fire road and see if it would be possible for the unsub to have used it to get to his burial ground. When they finally arrive, he stops at the start of it.

"Wait a second…"

He puts the SUV in park and gets out. He walks a bit up the road but it is a swamp due to the rain the previous day. He shakes his head and walks back.

"No way. We try to drive down that we'll be stuck."

"So we hike it?"

"Yep. Good thing Rossi isn't here he'd be bitching the whole time."

JJ smiles. "True."

Morgan moves the SUV out of the way just in case fire crews need to access it. The two pick and choose their way down the road, still getting insanely muddy in the process. JJ sighs

"Gonna have to give the Prentiss credit card a work out. This is my last pair of clean jeans."

"Mine, too. Hopefully this will be our last day out here in the mud."

"Hopefully. But remember that 'luck of our team' comment I made earlier?"

He laughs. "True, Agent Jareau. Very, very true."

It takes them nearly 45 minutes to get to the spot that looks down towards the burial site. They see the archeology students and forensic teams hard at work already. JJ squats down putting herself in the unsubs mind.

"Okay, so if the road isn't a muddy mess I can pull my car down here and carry the bodies down the hill. It's maybe 100 yards, pretty open terrain, but also pretty steep. Getting back up, even without a body, would be a chore."

"And I run the risk of getting pulled over by the police while carting a body around."

"But if the cops have no probable cause to search my car is there really a risk? I just drive on, wait a while, and circle back."

"True. What if the fire department decides to run a response drill? I'm screwed."

"And maybe the worries of all those things adds to my excitement. I mean, hell, Morgan, if I'm burying a body down here and a ranger or cop or fireman comes to check this area I am caught."

"Not necessarily." He points to the bottom of the steep slope. "Before the fires, trees probably protected that area from being seen from up here."

JJ stands and pictures a tree line in her mind. She nods. "Okay, right. But I still think there are too many chances to be caught up here. I can't get away easily if someone stumbles upon my car or sees me wandering down the hill dragging a body."

Morgan nods. "I think we can cross this off our list."

"Me, too. Shit…now we have to hike back."

"Yep. Some agents have all the fun."

"Right. Just what I was thinking," she says sarcastically as they make their way back to their SUV.

They next head to the road they hadn't taken the day before. As soon as they pull the parking area at the end of it they know the unsub would not have used it.

"Three different running/hiking trails and 2 bike trails. And as healthy as people are in this area it would probably always have cars here."

As it is, there are 4 other vehicles parked there already. Morgan sighs. "We need to drive back along the road we took yesterday."

JJ nods. "Paying attention to where he could bail if he needed to wait someone out."

"Right."

As they drive the road they both nearly miss the small turn off. Most likely it is used by the fire department as an auxiliary access during fire emergencies. They park at the start of it and walk a little ways up the road. JJ nods.

"Would be perfect. If anyone is coming back from the parking area I would see them and know the coast is clear."

"Yep. I think this is the final nail that seals the coffin on how the unsub gets to his burial ground. Let's go see what the teams have so far then talk to Hotch. Hopefully he'll want us down there helping to go over background information on the victims. At some point a couple of us will be going to 'Frisco to talk to family and friends."

"Yep. Probably you and Rossi."

Morgan nods. "As much as I hate to leave the area you are probably right. If Hotch asks for volunteers?" he asks hopefully.

JJ smiles. "I'll raise my hand and Rossi's."

Morgan smiles. "Thanks."

JJ nods as they climb back in the SUV to go check on the recovery teams. They learn another 4 victims had been found. JJ shakes her head.

"42 women so far. How did we miss this guy?"

Morgan just shakes his head, wishing he had an answer. Truth was, without the wildfire unearthing this graveyard they would never have known the unsub was out there. But now they knew and now…now they would find him.

Morgan borrows Bryant's cell phone since it has a signal and calls Hotch.

"Hotchner," the chief answers brusquely.

"It's Morgan. The unsub definitely accessed the grave site from the parking area right by it."

"So he goes for simplicity. Why bother to hide your burial ground in the woods like that but put it so close to a parking area? Someone could have stumbled on it if they didn't want to follow an established trail."

"True. But there was a slim chance that would happen. And where it is it makes it easy for him to visit his victims and bury new ones. Hotch, have we run police and rangers who work this area?"

"No. But we should. Of course, we still have the San Francisco element to this."

"What about a seasonal worker? Could be why he has to put them where he can find them and it also would explain why he hunts there but kills here."

Hotch nods. "True. I'll see what Garcia can dig up with seasonal workers with the county and the local businesses."

"There's really not much Jayje and I can do up here. Should we tell Bryant to hold the cabin for us?"

"Yes, just in case. But you're right you are best serving the case here. We have a lot of data to go through and it's only going to get worse as more victims are identified."

"Right. Well we'll start back then. We will need to make a brief stop for jeans. I'm not sure what we wore yesterday or today are salvageable."

Hotch grins. "Understood. See you when you get here."

"Right." Morgan hangs up and hands Bryant her phone. "Thanks. Hotch wants us back pouring over the background information on the victims but if you need us back up here just give us a call."

Bryant nods. "Will do. I'll be up here until the finish clearing the site. If you don't mind, I'll be taking over the cabin you all had used. If you do come back we can figure out new arrangements then."

"Sounds good," JJ agrees. "We'll see you in a day or so."


	8. Chapter 8

"Go, Garcia," Hotch says as he answers his phone.

"Sir, you know how I was doing a search on photography supplies? Well, I was able to narrow the search parameters to people who had things shipped both to the Big Sur area and the Bay Area."

"Excellent work, Garcia."

"Maybe. I still have 14 names on the list."

"Send it along with the preliminary backgrounds on each of those people that I know you've already run."

Garcia grins. "Well of course I did. Would I holler at you with incomplete data?"

He smiles. "Never, Garcia."

"Exactly. Also, I have the list of repeat offenders that used the fire road by the burial ground. Jayje asked for a 5 year span and there at 104 individuals with more money than sense. And, before you ask, they don't match to anyone on the photography search."

"Damn. That would have been too easy." He thinks a minute. "Garcia, expand the ticket search another 10 years. Maybe our unsub did learn his lesson."

"Gotcha, sir. Hey, Hotch, is Rossi okay?"

"He's fine. Grumpy as ever so no major personality change."

Garcia sighs in relief. "Good. Tell him I'll Photoshop any picture he needs me to until the scar disappears."

Hotch chuckles. "I'll tell him. Thanks, Garcia."

"I'll hit you when I have something."

* * *

The BAU team, both East Coast and West Coast versions, spend the rest of the day looking at backgrounds, witness statements, missing persons reports and financial records. Just before 4 PST, Garcia calls Hotch back. He puts her on speakerphone.

"Sir, I've just finished a major search, even reaching out internationally, on the hikers that found the camera equipment. Sir, they don't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they don't exist. They aren't who they said they were. Either they lied so they wouldn't get drawn in or they had connection to the murders."

"What sort of information did they give the responding officers?" JJ asks.

"Just told them names and addresses, which also don't exist."

Hotch looks at Morgan. "We need to know if the responding officer caught them on dash cam."

Morgan stands and head out of the room. "Right."

Before Morgan can get back the chief of police walks in. "So, who is this guy?"

"We're still working on that, Chief."

The man frowns. "Working on it? You all came here back in March telling us the bastard was out there! Were you blowing smoke then or are you blowing it now because we turned your offer of help down?"

Hotch bristles. "No one is blowing smoke. Not now, not then, not any time. But once you turned our offer of help down we had to move on to places that wanted our assistance. Now, with all the new evidence being uncovered we're working hard to find the profile of the unsub. But we won't be rushed. We'd rather be right than be fast."

The chief glares at Hotch. "Maybe one of you stuck all them bodies up there just to prove us wrong," he accuses.

Before Hotch can respond, JJ steps between the men, having played peacemaker many times when she was a liaison.

"Easy, gentlemen. Let's not do or say something we'll come to regret. This is an incredibly difficult situation and tension is high. But in the end, we all want the same thing: this bastard caught. Chief, how about I go with you to your office and explain what we're doing and how it will help find this guy. And I can also show you why we're taking so much time."

She doesn't let him answer, she steers him towards the door, launching into an explanation of what profiling the scene and the victims does to help find the bad guy. As they leave, Rossi shuts the door behind them and looks at his boss.

"She saved your ass, Aaron. Had you said or done what you wanted it would have been your career."

Hotch sighs. "I know." He grins, using one of Emily's lines. "I'll buy her something pretty."

The other agents laugh and get back to work on the backgrounds they hope will give them the common link between victims.


	9. Chapter 9

By 4 p.m. PST Thursday the site has been declared clear of bodies. A total of at least 43 women had been buried there. There are several bodies horrible decimated by the bulldozer that was called in as well as by scavengers. They know the body count could go higher in the next weeks as DNA comes back on those fragments.

Of those 43, 27 had been positively identified through dental records. DNA samples are out on the others. A forensic artist is busy creating images of what the women would have looked like in life in hopes of matching them to missing person's reports for the greater San Francisco area.

Yes, San Francisco was still the hunting ground. All the women so far had either lived or worked in that area. Staring at the murder board, Hotch runs a hand down his face.

"Morgan, Rossi, I think we have enough information to start questioning family and friends again. Drive up there tonight and see if you can start the interviews tomorrow."

JJ glances at Morgan. "Uh, why don't I go instead of Morgan, Hotch?"

Hotch grins at her. "Because you are the only one the chief of police will listen to. The last thing we need is to be sent off before we help these two communities catch this monster."

JJ nods. "Right." She glances at Morgan and shrugs an apology. He smiles his appreciation that she tried.

He is getting ready to dismiss them when the phone on the conference table rings. He answers it on speakerphone.

"Hotchner," he states.

"Is Reid there?" Emily asks excitedly.

"Here, Emily," the genius answers.

"What was staring you in the face wasn't staring you in the face! It wasn't there!" she blurts.

Morgan frowns. "What the heck does that mean and why is it such a revelation?"

Reid had been pondering the statement, running down financial statements burned into his eidetic memory. Suddenly his eyes get wide.

"YES! You're right! It wasn't there to see!"

Morgan just shakes his head. JJ hides a chuckle. Hotch and Rossi exchange their "Oh my God" looks. Reid grabs a marker and moves to the victim boards. Their nerds were on a tear only they could understand.

"Starbucks," Emily says.

"Right," he marks the first victim, knowing Emily would go in order.

"Trader Joe's."

Reid sees the financials for victim 3 in his head. "Seattle's Best."

"Gold's Gym."

"PetSmart."

The two nerds do this until the get through all identified victims. The rest of the agents just stop and stare, knowing the two would get around to explaining themselves eventually.

"One week each time?" Reid asks, having not seen all the financials.

"One week to 10 days at the most," Emily confirms.

"So why?"

"I don't know. But it would be something to ask friends and family. Something made these women change their shopping pattern."

Rossi finally sits forward. "Hey! We don't speak EmiReid. Could one of you two translate this for us?"

Reid turns around, as if surprised he's not alone in the room. The gathered agents can't help but be amused. Reid starts to explain.

"We kept looking for places these women crossed; places they would have all met the unsub. But there wasn't one point of reference. But what had been bugging me and what Emily found is that these women all had a set place they shopped, be it daily or weekly. Their financial records regarding that particular place can be plotted like clockwork."

Emily takes over seamlessly. "But for all our known victims 7 to 10 days before their disappearance they suddenly stopped going to those places. Something or someone may have made them uneasy or nervous enough to change their routine."

JJ nods. "And if that's the case, they would most likely have told friends or family what was going on."

Hotch nod. "Excellent work, Prentiss and Reid." He looks at Morgan and Rossi. "That will be the most important question to ask in your interviews. I'll get Garcia on the phone with the businesses from the most recent murders to see if they have surveillance tapes we can check in the weeks before the shopping pattern changed. JJ, I'll want you to help with that for now."

JJ nods. "Okay."

"I can help Garcia on this end, too," Emily states. "Until we have more identified remains I am out of financial records, much to my eyesight's happiness."

Hotch grins. "Right. Reid, you and I are going to take a ride up to the burial site. Now that it's cleared I want a fresh look at it with untainted eyes."

"Okay. Should I pack a helmet or can you handle the road?" Reid asks with a teasing grin at Morgan.

Everyone chuckles. Morgan nods his head. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Pretty Boy."

Hotch looks at his watch. "Morgan, Rossi you have a long drive ahead of you. Go ahead and get going. JJ, Reid, let's keep working on the ticket histories we have. Prentiss, call it a day."

"Won't hear me arguing that one, sir," she says. "Morgan, Rossi, good luck. If Garcia and I come up with any images that could be helpful will let you know."

"Sounds good, Princess. We'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Jen, call me when you get back to the hotel."

"Will do, Em. Love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

In Virginia, Emily slips off her "nerd glasses" as Garcia has officially dubbed them and leans back against the headboard. But if she thought she might have a moment to rest she is wrong. Cries from the baby monitor tell her Rocky is ready to eat. She gets up and heads down to the nursery.

"Hey, Big Girl." She lifts her up and moves to the glide rocker. "You know, Rock, work has given Mama a bit of a headache." She kisses her daughter's head. "But you and your brother are the best headache medicine ever invented"

Rocky is soon eating dinner, her little hand as always stroking the brand on Emily's breast. Emily sighs.

"There was a time I couldn't wait to get rid of that damn thing, Rocky. Now…now you and your mother have both used it to claim my heart. Henry doesn't even really notice it. Maybe…maybe it's just another scar. Scars remind us where we've been and what we've overcome. As long as the three of you don't care about it maybe I shouldn't either." She grins. "Not like I'm going to be a bikini model or something, right?" Rocky just taps her fingers on it. Emily grins. "I'll take that as a 'Right, Mama'."

She is just getting Rocky settled in bed when Garcia pokes her head in. "Hi. Did I miss her?"

Emily nods. "Yep. Fast asleep for a few hours at least."

"Rats. I kinda needed innocence and goodness tonight," she says sadly."

She walks over and smiles down at the sleeping baby. She draws a finger down Rocky's cheek.

"I love you, Little Nerdling."

Emily smiles at the newest nickname for the little Prentiss. She puts an arm around Garcia's shoulder.

"Let me check on Henry and then see about heating us up some dinner."

Garcia nods and heads to the room she is using to get changed. Emily goes into Henry's room and sees he has kicked all his covers off. She gently tucks him back in, laying his teddy bear in his arms. He automatically rolls over and cuddles with it. She smiles.

"You are so cute, Champ." She leans over and kisses his head. "I love you so much."

She goes down to the kitchen and pops the pork chops Francesca had made in the microwave to heat them up. She pulls out a can of green beans and gets them ready to nuke next. She opens a jar of apple sauce and dinner is set. By the time Garcia gets down everything is on the table.

"You know, staying here completely spoils me dinner-wise," the analyst admits.

Emily grins. "Trust me, it spoils me, too. Jen and I did a lot of take out and reheated left over take out before Francesca. Only Henry had a good meal every night guaranteed."

"So she really is more like Alice from the Brady Bunch."

"Yep. We really couldn't get by without her. I never feel like I pay her enough. Do you know how hard it was to get her to accept a raise? She kept saying, 'It's family, Emily' like that meant I could take advantage of her. What is with all the stubborn women in my life?" she asks with a grin.

Garcia smiles as she stabs a green bean. "You love us all and you know it."

Emily smiles. "Yes, yes I do."

She raises her glass of juice to toast her friend. Garcia lifts her glass of soda and clinks it together with Emily's. The two finish their dinner talking about everything except dead women and serial killers.

* * *

JJ flops down onto the hotel room bed. After they had finished at the station, the three agents staying in the area had gone for pizza. They, too, had talked about everything except dead women and serial killers. She pulls out her phone, knowing it is nearly midnight back in Virginia. After two rings, Emily answers, obviously in the middle of laughing at something.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Ah, so I guess your girlfriend is spending the night again," JJ says with a grin.

"Nah, it's just Garcia. My girlfriend comes over tomorrow," Emily reports with a smile.

"Right. My bad. Forgot what day it is." Emily chuckles as JJ plays along. "Great work today, baby. I really think you've given us the insight we need to find this bastard."

"Thanks. But to be fair, Reid knew something was off. He just didn't have enough victims to find the pattern, or lack there of."

"True. But that's why 2 nerds are always better than 1," JJ states definitively.

"I second that," Emily says.

Garcia reaches over and takes the phone. "I'm heading to bed, Jayje. Get some sleep. Things could get hectic tomorrow."

"I know. The next two days will be make or break in finding this guy. My biggest worry is he'll abduct or kill someone else and find a new burial site to use."

"Ugh, thanks. Hadn't thought of that."

"Sorry, Pen. I love you, you know."

"I know. Love you, too. Here's your Princess Charming back." Garcia hands Emily the phone and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Night, Em. See you in the morning."

Garcia heads out, closing Emily's bedroom door as she goes. Emily sighs into the phone.

"I was getting worried you all were working so late you wouldn't call before I went to bed. I think that's why Pen stayed awake with me."

"There's just so much stuff to go through. And everything we find leads to more searches and reports to dig through. He's been active so damn long."

"Anyone figure out yet how he targets his victims?" Emily asks.

"Nope. Reid did facial mapping to see if there were common traits, eye and hair are different, occupations, backgrounds, nothing connects them except this bastard murdered them."

"It's got to be something at the regular hang outs that suddenly were dropped. A smile, a bump, something turned his focus on them. And whatever it was it freaked these women out enough that they changed their-damn it, Emily, stop!" she scolds herself. "Sorry, Jen, I know we need to turn this off. It's just frustrating trying to help you guys from three time zones away."

"I know, sweetheart. I remember the same frustrations when I wasn't traveling because I was still nursing Henry."

"I remember. Got to say, I _really_ hope my first travel trip back isn't Alaska. You are a hell of a lot stronger than me. That kind of distance could, literally, kill me."

JJ chuckles. "Bribe Pen. She's making the case choices now."

"Good point," Emily says with a smile. She sighs. "You have a headache, don't you."

JJ sighs. "Yeah. And my body is really feeling the jarring from the accident."

"I wish I was there to give you a massage."

"Me, too. I did get Spence to roll BioFreeze over my back and shoulders. Thought his head might have exploded when he realized I wasn't going to wear my bra as he did it."

Emily bursts out laughing. "Poor, Reid."

"Yeah. Imagine if I had just lain on the bed topless instead of standing with my shirt covering my chest."

Emily wipes tears as she imagines the look on Reid's face had that been the case. "Oh, Reid. Remind me to give him an extra hug next time I see him."

"I will." JJ stifles a yawn. "Damn…I think I'm more tired than I realized."

"Probably. What time are you getting back at it tomorrow?"

"Hotch wants us at the station by 7 in case we can find more information to help Morgan and Rossi on their re-canvas of witnesses. Then I meet with the chief of police at 8 to give him a status update."

"Why you? Shouldn't Hotch do that?"

JJ grins and tells about the tense confrontation that she'd help keep from escalating. "So now I am his direct contact with the team."

"Still the Mom and mediator, I see."

"Always." She yawns again. "Dang."

"I should let you go, too. Rocky will be awake soon to be changed and maybe to get some more to eat."

"Is she sleeping longer now?"

"Yep. She's right on schedule with everything. She's just so…so…God, Jen…"

JJ smiles. "I know. I remember every new little thing with Henry seemed like a miracle to me."

"I remember that, too. But this time it's different, you know?"

"Because you made her, baby. Trust me, I understand."

"Yeah. I made her and, so far, I haven't screwed her up."

JJ hears the uncertainty in her wife's voice. "And you never will. You're not your parents, Emily. I won't let you lose touch with our children. I swear to you and to them."

Emily sighs happily. "You always know what to say to me, Jen. I love you."

"I love you, too. Give them each a kiss on the forehead for me."

"You know I will. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, baby."

JJ hangs up her phone and lies there a moment staring at the ceiling. Yes, she misses her wife and children so much it almost hurts more than the aches from her accident. But she also knows being on this case, being there for families with missing loved ones is where she is meant to be.

"What a crazy fucking life you lead, Jennifer Prentiss." She smiles. "And you wouldn't change a thing about it. Even more fucked, really," she says with a chuckle.

She finally gets up and gets ready for bed. Tomorrow was promising to be a looooong day.


	10. Chapter 10

Garcia stares at the images on the screen. The hikers had not been caught on dash cam because they had taken the photos directly to the precinct. However, it appears that they knew exactly where all the camera's were because they have their ball caps pulled down low and keep their heads down.

"Damn you guys," she mutters as she switches to yet another view but all she can see is the backs of their heads. She had been at it for 2 hours but the "hikers" just never show their face. "Skeevoids. Why not? Are you the killers? Are you just bastards? Why can't I see your face?"

"If they answer, let me know," Emily says with amusement as Garcia jumps.

Garcia glares at her friend. "Stop. Sneaking. Up. On. Me."

Emily grins. "Who was sneaking? I just walked in."

"Right. Well…make noise or sing or something. Give a tech a little warning, would you?" Garcia says with irritation.

Emily nods. "Right. Sorry. So what do you have on the hikers?"

"They are both Caucasian. I have guestimates on height and hair coloring but no clear shot of their faces."

"Hopefully the officer that took their statements will remember enough to get with a sketch artist."

"Em? Are they the unsubs?"

Emily sighs. "I don't know, Pen. My guess is no because though an unsub might try to get into the middle of an investigation this one would never have given up those pictures. I think these guys probably have reason to avoid the cops, drugs, petty theft, something and that's why all the subterfuge. In their hearts, they knew they had to do the right thing but they also knew enough to protect themselves because of their illegal activities."

Garcia sighs. "I was afraid you'd say that. I really wish these were the guys."

"I know. Get what you have to Hotch. He'll probably have to release it to the media to get help tracking them down."

"Right."

"What about the ticket searches?"

"It's huge. Right now it's crossing with the insanely huge prior crimes search Hotch had me pull. Probably have another 4 hours or so on that one."

"Well, give me what you have. I need to work on something other than financials for a while."

"The pattern still holding?"

"Yeah. And with 31 women now confirmed and the rest waiting for DNA hits there's nothing more for me to look at."

"Okay. I'll move a copy of it to the share drive."

"Good. I'm heading downstairs for Rocky's 11 a.m. feeding. I'll let you know when I get back up here."

* * *

In California, JJ grinds her teeth together. "Sir, I know you don't completely understand the type of investigating we do. You're an old school cop, used to beating down a path to the bad guy's door. But that's not going to work here. This unsub has worked without detection for at least 12 years. Maybe longer if he has victims elsewhere, which he most likely does. He did not want his victims found. They are his. Early victims were probably found and returned to their families. It was offensive to him so he found a place of significance to him; a place where he could revisit his collection again and again.

"Now we are working against the clock. We've taken his collection, taken his safe haven. Trust me when I tell you we are working as hard and fast as possible to catch him. But if we go too fast we will lose him. You have to trust that talking to families and friends, looking into people who may have been ticketed in the area multiple times, and reaching out to the men who turned in the photos will give us the information we need to stop this killer."

"But all you three are doing is sitting here! He's out there somewhere!"

"I know, sir. I swear I know this. We all know. But please trust us. If you'd like, I can give you the names and numbers of other precincts where this slow, methodical searching has led to positive results."

The chief stares at her a minute then nods. "Get me that list. But if I don't like what I hear you're all done here."

JJ nods. "Understood, sir. Give me 10 minutes to get a list together for you."

He nods curtly. JJ quickly heads back to the conference room. Hotch looks up at her as she walks in.

"Well?"

"Not good," she replies as she sits at her computer to start compiling a contact list. She tells Hotch and Reid what happened.

Hotch shakes his head. "Make it a good list, Jayje."

"I will. If nothing else, maybe we move the investigation to San Francisco. The chief down there seemed happy to hear Morgan and Rossi were on their way."

"True. But I'd rather stick up here and work it on both sides until we know for sure where this unsub is located. He's got two comfort zones quite far apart. I don't want to give him any leeway to disappear on us."

JJ nods as her fingers fly over the keyboard pulling out names and numbers where the teams' meticulous work had lead to success. Reid has pulled out one of his files, looking over similar cases. Several in that file had now ended up on the boards. But there are two that he just feels should be up there but they are beyond the 12 year time frame that has now been established. Suddenly he jumps up.

"Oh my God!"

JJ and Hotch look up at him as he moves to the San Francisco map. He runs his finger over it, pausing at the various colored pins that mark abduction sites, regular hang outs of victims, and last seen locations. He looks at the two missing flyers in his hands and turns to the other two.

"These were his first two victims!" he says with confidence.

Hotch frowns. "How do you know?"

"They disappeared from the Bay Area, right in this area," his finger circles the main hunting ground. "They were found along Highway 1 but not concealed in the forest, just along the side of the road. They had been tortured, raped and were found naked. Authorities were worried they had a serial killer and started to patrol more often along the way. Reports had several people interviewed at the sites."

"Oh my God…the police talked to him!" JJ sees where he is going.

"Yes! And he knew what they were looking for and he knew he couldn't just leave them where he could see them anymore. So he had to find a place all his own."

"The burial site," Hotch says with a nod. "We need to see the records of those two investigations."

JJ stands. "I'll take the list to the chief. I can keep him busy while you all get what you need."

Hotch nods. "Good plan. I'll call Detective Bryant and see if she can put us in touch with the right person to get the records."

JJ nods and heads out as Hotch grabs his phone. Reid sighs in relief. Finally…the break they had been praying for; the signpost that could point the way to the capture of the unsub.

* * *

Morgan and Rossi wait for the lady in front of them to gather herself. She finally takes a steadying breath.

"She's been gone so long I…I guess I knew she wasn't coming back but I still hoped, you know? Maybe she'd had an accident and just didn't remember me, didn't remember our life together. Something like that." She finally looks at the agents. "Dumb, huh?"

Rossi shakes his head. "Not at all. No one wants to imagine the worst so even the unlikely becomes possible."

The woman just nods. Morgan sits forward, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Ms. Batch, do you know why Amelia stopped going to Moe's Diner for breakfast each morning?"

Sandra Batch slowly nods. "There was a guy there that started giving her a bad vibe. He had bumped into her a few weeks before and she accidently spilled her coffee on him. It was a serve yourself coffee place. She apologized and even bought his breakfast to apologize. She thought that was the end of it but he started showing up everyday. And he always…she said he would try to get her to spill her drink on him again. It was kind of weird. One of the waitresses even noticed and offered to bring Amelia's coffee to her. That really pissed the guy off. So I told her to just stop going for a week or so; you know, give the guy time to forget about her or find another place to get his coffee spilled on him."

"And do you know where she started going?" Morgan asks.

"She varied it after that. Even started paying cash. He really had her spooked." She wipes away fresh tears. "I told her she was being paranoid. Oh, fuck me, why didn't I listen to her?"

Rossi lays a comforting hand on her leg. "As the cliché goes, hindsight is 20/20. You told her the right thing to put distance between herself and him."

Sandra snorts. "Obviously not. The fucker killed her, didn't he?"

"We don't know," Rossi says honestly. "It's just one avenue we're looking into. Her financial statements had shown such a pattern we had to ask. It could mean nothing."

"When will you know?"

Rossi shrugs. "I don't know. But if we look like we've got the guy that killed her we'll let you know."

"Thank you. Have…have you told her parents yet?"

"No. We left them a message that we needed to speak with them," Morgan tells her.

"They, uh, probably won't call back. She was estranged from them…because of me; our lifestyle. When I told them she was missing they said it served her right and that she was answering for her sins. And if they do call back they'll probably demand I be kept out of the loop on everything. I do have a legal directive to…shit…to be in charge of her burial."

Morgan sighs, his hands clenching tighter. "No one deserves what happened to Amelia. No one asks to be gay or lesbian. They are the ones in the wrong, not you, not Amelia." He reaches over and takes her hand. "I don't care what they say to us, I will keep you in the loop. I swear to you. And get your lawyer and prepare to fight for her rights to decide her final resting place. Forget about her parents, just look out for Amelia."

Sandra nods. "I will. I swear."

He hands her his card. "If you have any questions please give me a call. I'll let you know when her body can be released to you."

"Thank you, Agent Morgan. You too, Agent Rossi. I can tell you really care about her. That makes this…easier, I guess."

Rossi gives her a smile. "I'm not sure anything could make this easier. But thank you."

The two agents take their leave. They sit in the SUV a few minutes their thoughts on their two teammates.

"You know…Elizabeth and Gerald could have been that bad. Image could have trumped love," Morgan finally says.

"The Jareau's, too. Small town and all," Rossi points out.

Morgan just shakes his head. "I can't even imagine turning on my child like that. Turning on anyone."

"Me, neither." Rossi takes a deep breath as they think a second. Finally he turns his thoughts back to the case. "So, that's 5 people we've interviewed and 4 remember a creepy man that someone orchestrated a meeting with a victim. And then turned that incident into stalking."

"But why? Did he imagine a relationship with them and then hated getting rebuffed? Or was the thrill getting them so spooked they changed their whole routine because of him?"

Rossi considers it a minute. "He's a sadist. He loves the torture. Once they changed their routine he knew he'd terrified them as much as he could there. The next step is to show them they can't escape him."

"So he takes them, tortures them, rapes them, keeps them several days before finally killing them. And then he buries them where only he can find them," Morgan states, coming up with the same conclusion about the burial ground Hotch and Reid had figured out.

"I need to call Hotch. This guy had previous kills and I bet they were found. That would ruin his ability to visit them and lord it over them that he owned them."

Rossi dials Hotch. After a few minutes he finds out that both sets of agents were thinking the same thing. He hangs up and looks at Morgan.

"We need to keep talking to people. Hotch had Bryant get him records of two unsolved murders where the victims were left along Highway 1."

"Damn. And there could have been others that may have ended up in the ocean or are still out there somewhere."

"Exactly. This guy has been doing this a lot longer than we thought."

"Shit. Not a comforting thought." Morgan threads his fingers together on top of the steering wheel. "And we still don't know what first puts these women on his radar. Is it an accidental bump or intentional?"

"Intentional means he targeted them and we still don't know how. Accidental means that initial contact puts his fantasy in motion," Rossi says. He thinks a minute then shakes his head. "And I don't get a vibe which direction to take with that."

"Me neither." Morgan looks at his watch. "It's 11:30. The Patterson's said they could meet with us at noon. Let's head that way and see what they knew about their daughter in the weeks leading up to her murder."

Rossi nods as Morgan gets them moving to the next family whose life had changed forever with a phone call.


	11. Chapter 11

Hotch rubs his hands over his face. "We had Garcia check juvenile records from 20-30 years ago. It may not have been far enough," he laments.

Reid nods. "I'm starting to feel the same way. What's really bothering me is how he found his victims. There is no major commonality between all these women. No little thread to tie them together."

"Other than they had a run in with him and got freaked out enough to completely change their routine," JJ states. "But it's all after the fact…after he saw them, after he targeted them…after he…he stalked them. SHIT!" She sits up. "Once they changed their routine, how did he know how to find them? What if he stalked them for a long time, getting to know their routine, getting to know where he could get them alone, where he could get them to initiate contact by accident? Once he knows all about them, he can set his final game plan in motion."

Hotch slowly nods and grabs the phone.

"Garcia," she answers abruptly.

"Garcia, I know we've got you running a lot of searches and cross searches but we need one more."

Garcia sighs. "Name it, sir," she says without her usual peppiness.

"Did any of our victims have restraining orders out? Either granted or requested. And include the two victims from the Highway 1 dumpings in your search."

"Yes, sir. Will hit you back when I have something. Not that I've had much so far this case," she grumbles.

"Hey!" Hotch stops her before she hangs up. "Garcia, you have given us lots of information. You know that sometimes a lack of information is just as important as an abundance of information. When we catch this guy, and we _will_ catch this guy, your work will have proven invaluable to us."

Garcia smiles. "Hotch, you always know just what to say to me. Remind me to do a 'thing' and get you a bonus."

Hotch, Reid and JJ laugh. "A thank you is sufficient, Garcia," Hotch assures her.

"Well, okay. I'll get back with you as soon as I have an answer for you. Garcia out."

* * *

Emily has spent the morning reading the juvenile offender records. She had gotten a text from JJ to concentrate on the older ones so that's what she's doing. Just when she is starting to miss financials a name pops out at her.

"Hey…I know you…"

She flips back through the ones she'd already read and finds the name in question. His first offense had been stealing puppies from a neighbor. Since they were purebreds the neighbor pressed charges since 2 of the 4 died before being returned. The 12 year-old boy, Malcolm Vilma, had claimed he hated that the puppies were in a cage and was just trying to rescue them. He had no idea how 2 of the puppies died. He was given community service.

"What do you want to bet those puppies were tortured and strangled," Emily mutters to herself.

She grabs the second report on him. This time the 14 year old was accused of inappropriately touching his 9 year old female neighbor. The girl's name is not listed but Vilma claimed he was helping her after she fell and it was just a misunderstanding. At the last minute the girl had refused to testify against him but a judge still felt the accusation was enough to warrant 4 months in a juvenile facility.

Emily rolls her chair over to her laptop. She enters Malcolm Vilma's name into the NCIC database and hits search. With just one person to look for it is a quick search. She prints out his rap sheet which is extensive both as a child and into adulthood.

"Until about 17 years ago. Then what happened? Found God or found a way to cover your ass?"

She enters his name into the California DMV database but he is not in there.

"No way. No way you don't have a license." She looks at the photo from his most recent mug shot. "I need Garcia."

She gets up and heads down to the analysts office. "Pen, I think I have the unsub."

Garcia spins around. "Seriously? Who? How?"

"A guy name Malcolm Vilma. Long history consistent with this type of unsub, including a sudden halt to his criminal activities. But he's not in the DMV database and he has to have a car. Can you run facial recognition from his last mug shot?"

"I can try. I'll also hit up IRS databases to see if we can get an address on him."

"Good. I could be wrong so don't tell the team just yet. I don't want to give them false hope."

"Right."

Emily paces behind Garcia, knowing such a specific search like the IRS one won't take long. The facial recognition could take longer. A beep lets Emily know the search is done. She steps up behind the analyst.

"Impossible," Garcia is mumbling.

"What?"

"According to this Malcolm Vilma stopped existing 17 years ago. That's the last time any taxes were filed in his name under his Social Security number."

"Shit. Death certificate?"

"Nope. He just disappears."

"So he found a way to cover his ass and to disappear." Emily starts to pace again, trying to figure out how to trace this man she feels, in her gut, is their unsub. Before she can, her watch alarm goes off. "Rocky. Look, if you think of a way to find him, go for it. I need to go do Rocky's afternoon feeding."

"Okay. Make sure you don't think about this guy why you do it. It could, I don't know, screw up your milk or something."

Emily smiles and leans over to kiss the top of her friend's head. "You rock, Garcia. Don't ever change."

Garcia smiles. "No chance."

As Emily rides the elevator down she thinks about what she knows. Vilma's sudden disappearance coincides with the second Highway 1 victim found. If they were one and the same, it was that discovery that lead Vilma to go off the grid. But how? And what was he doing? Did he buy another identity? Or is he dead, his body missing, and Emily is just barking up the wrong tree?

As the elevator door opens on the ground floor, Emily takes a deep, cleansing breath. "Okay, Prentiss, turn off agent mode and turn on mama mode."

And for the next 45 minutes she does just that.

* * *

It is just after noon when Hotch and Reid reach the burial site. Though the yellow crime scene tape remains, all the activity Morgan and JJ had dealt with is done. The only person there is a state trooper assigned to keep the public out of the area. Hotch smiles at him.

"Who'd you piss off to pull this detail?"

The young trooper grins. "Sorta backed into the Sarge's car. His brand _new_ car."

Hotch winces sympathetically. "Ouch."

"Yeah."

Hotch and Reid step into the middle of the burial site. Their impressions are nearly identical to those of the other three agents. But Reid has one epiphany.

"This is his comfort zone, not San Francisco."

Hotch turns to him. "Why?"

"He needs to see this place on a regular basis. He needs to know it's safe, secure. He needs to know his victims are here for him at all times. And when he needs to, he has to be able to visit them."

Hotch slowly nods, his eyes still scanning the area. "So he hunts down there but brings them back up here to torture and kill them."

"I believe so."

Hotch pulls out his phone to call Garcia to have her concentrate a couple of her searches to the Big Sur area. But he has no signal.

"Damn. Anything else we can see here?

Reid shakes his head. "Nothing I can think of."

"Okay. Let's head down to that general store Morgan told us about. He said they had a signal there. We can also ask the owner about strangers who are regulars."

"Right."

The two agents make their way back down the mountain. They pause briefly at the scene of the SUV accident. Reid shakes his head.

"How the hell did Morgan keep them upright?"

"He's a hell of a driver," Hotch agrees.

When they get down to the general store they are greeted by Malcolm Wittier, Sr. The man is in his early 50's with graying hair. But he is fit and hearty, not unusual considering where he lives.

"Hi, Agents. You must be friends with those others that came through the other night," he says with an easy grin. "They looked like a couple of drowned rats."

Reid chuckles. "You wouldn't happen to have security video we can use to tease them with, do you?"

Wittier chuckles. "Nope can't say I do. Anyone wants to rob this place I'll gladly hand over the till. No need to make trouble and end up dead." He suddenly frowns. "Oh, hell…I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Not considering why you all are in the area. I apologize."

Hotch nods. "It's okay. I'm going to step outside to call Garcia. Reid?"

Reid nods and takes over questioning Wittier. "This is going to sound strange but do you have any regular visitors? Particularly men who may seem…stand-offish or wary?"

He thinks a moment but shakes his head. "No one stands out. There have been a few over time I was glad to see the back of. You know, just got a bad vibe. But no one that screamed serial killer at me."

Reid nods. "I see. What about any locals, maybe someone that moved into the area, that seems a little off?"

He shakes his head. "Again, no. A lot of people buy up here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world but no one seemed to be here to hide from the cops or anything."

"Okay," Reid says as he pulls out his card. "If anyone does or says something that gives you cause for concern please don't hesitate to give us a call."

Wittier takes the card and pins it up with a bunch of others behind his counter. "I will. Thanks for your help up here, Agent."

Reid nods and heads outside to meet up with Hotch. "All set?"

"Yes. Anything from Wittier?"

"Nothing except…except the feeling he was hiding something."

"We'll have Garcia run him, too, just to be thorough. JJ called. The chief is demanding to see me."

Reid rolls his eyes. "Great. About what?"

"Seems one of the references she gave him complained about Emily and he wants to make sure she has no part in this case."

Reid grins. "And JJ didn't deck him?"

Hotch grins. "Not yet."

* * *

Emily rushes into Garcia's office. "A child!"

Garcia turns around. "What?"

"Did Vilma have a kid?"

Garcia spins back to her computer and starts typing. Finally, buried in a police report, she finds note.

"YES! His girlfriend was a character witness at his hearing for destruction of private property. She was pregnant and said the whole incident started when the owner of the property attempted to rape her. That was 25 years ago."

"And then 17 years ago he just disappears. Search her."

Garcia quickly types in the witnesses name. "Ophelia Wittier, 8 years his junior. Says her family own a convenience store…oh my God! It's the one Morgan and JJ used!"

"Is there a co-owner listed?"

"Nope. Only her."

"Anything on their child?"

Garcia types furiously, finally getting the connect. "Malcolm Wittier, Jr., age 25. Works in San Francisco as an account executive for a small ad agency."

"There's the San Francisco connection. DMV picture?"

Garcia pulls it up and both women gasp. Based on the officer's sketch, he looks just like one of the "hikers" that turned in the camera case and photos.

"Holy Rosemary's baby…he turned in his own father!"

"Yeah but without admitting who it was." Emily grabs Garcia's phone and hits the speed dial for the conference room.

"Yeah, Garcia," a tired JJ replies.

"Jen, I think the unsub is the owner of that convenience store you and Morgan used."

"WHAT? Why?"

Emily runs down the juvenile history on up until the man disappears from all databases. "But he does have a son, Malcolm Wittier, Jr., who looks just like one of the hikers and who works in San Francisco."

"Any chance he's an accomplice?"

"Maybe. But then why turn in the camera? Screams ashamed son versus pissed off partner."

JJ nods. "True. I'll call Hotch and Reid. They may still be up that way."

"Okay. I'll call Morgan and Rossi to see if they can pay a visit to Junior."

Emily hangs up and hits the preset for Morgan's number.

"Is this an obscene call, Baby Girl?"

Emily rolls her eyes. "I gotta start using my own phone."

"Emily?"

"Yes! Listen up."

Emily runs down everything she and Garcia had managed to put together. By the end, Morgan has already turned the car around to make his way to Malcolm Jr.'s place of employment. When Emily hangs up she starts to pace impatiently. She hated being out of the field when things heated up.

"What are the chances this ends tonight?" Garcia asks.

Emily sighs and shrugs. "Depends on whether we are right or not. We'll know as soon as Morgan and Rossi finish their interview."

Emily glances at her watch. It's almost 4 p.m. Please let this end tonight and soon, she prays.


	12. Chapter 12

Reid hangs up the phone and looks at Hotch. "We need to go back. Emily and Garcia dug up a lot of information that points to Malcolm Wittier Sr. being our unsub."

"Really? What did they find?"

Reid runs all the information down for Hotch. By the time he is done, he agrees with the agent and analyst.

"Call JJ. Tell her to find Bryant and meet us up at the overlook just before the store. We'll make a plan on how to approach him at that point."

"Right." Reid pulls out his phone and relays the instructions to JJ.

"Will do. Oh, and, Bryant just got a call from a detective she's working with in San Francisco. A woman went missing 2 days ago. She complained to a friend about creepy guy that made her change grocery stores. May be connected, may not be. If it is, he may have a hostage."

"Shit. I'll let Hotch know." He hangs up and tells Hotch.

Hotch slaps the steering wheel. "If he does he took her just to prove his superiority to us."

"If this is even our guy."

"Right. We'll prepare an entry plan and wait for Morgan and Rossi to call."

Reid nods, the adrenaline starting to pump through his system.

* * *

A nice if nervous-looking young man walks up to the two agents. He sighs.

"I wondered if this day would come." He gestures to an empty meeting room. "We can talk in here."

Morgan and Rossi nod and follow him into the room. The man starts to pace.

"Just for the record, you are Malcolm Wittier, Jr.?" Rossi confirms.

"Yes, sir."

"And it was you who turned in the photos?" he further questions.

"Yes, sir. And before you ask, no I didn't find them in the woods. I broke my camera before a camping trip with a friend of mine. My mother told me just to borrow my Dad's. I got the rolls of film mixed up and just figured I'd develop them all and give my Dad his photos already processed."

"Does he normally develop his own?" Morgan asks.

"Yeah. I mean, not by hand. There's a photo developing machine in the backroom of the store. Kind of like you'd see at CVS, you know?"

Rossi nods. No wonder Wittier had never hit on Garcia's search. She hadn't searched for commercial use of the chemicals. Malcolm looks up at the agents.

"He's the one, isn't he? That place up on the side of the mountain? He did that, didn't he?"

Rossi sighs and places a hand on the man's shoulder. "We believe so."

Malcolm turns and stares out the window. From this fourth floor room you could see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Boats dotted the Bay, testament to people out having fun and enjoying life without realizing the life of one of their neighbors is crashing around him. Malcolm doesn't see the beauty. He sees the man who taught him to love the outdoors, the man who did what he could to give him a good education.

"How did we not know?"

"Because to you and your mother, he wasn't the monster he could be with those women. Denis Rader had a family, was active in his church. Like your father, he only showed his victims the black heart of his soul," Rossi explains, knowing it is unlikely to help.

"Is there someone we can call for you?" Morgan offers.

Malcolm shakes his head. "No. My, uh, girlfriend works here. She's in a meeting. I'll…I'll see her when she gets back."

Rossi hands the man his card. "If you have any questions, ever, please call. And, Malcolm, consider seeing someone to help you work through this. Don't let your father's depravity destroy you, too."

Malcolm just nods. Rossi and Morgan make their way out, closing the door behind them. Malcolm's boss meets them by the receptionist's desk.

"Is everything okay?"

Rossi sighs. "No. But it's for Malcolm to tell you. I will say he's done nothing wrong. In fact, his actions will give over 40 families the answers they have been searching for."

The man just nods as the agents leave. Once they are in the parking garage, Rossi pulls out his phone.

"Hotch…Wittier is the one."

* * *

Hotch closes his phone. "Wittier's son admits to turning in the photos. It was his father's camera."

"Oh, God. The poor guy," Detective Bryant says.

"Yeah. We need to approach this carefully. He knows we found his burial site, there is a chance he has another victim, and he knows we know his store. In fact, our stop in earlier may have convinced him we knew then who he is."

"He could panic," JJ states, pulling her hair back in a ponytail.

"Right. Bryant, you'll be with me in the front. JJ, Reid go around back and make sure he doesn't run," Hotch orders. "How soon until the officers you called in get here?" he asks Bryant.

She checks her watch. "Even with lights and sirens we have another 10 minutes at least."

"Okay. For now we watch the exits. Only move in if it looks like he's running. Once the additional officers arrive we'll make a plan to move in and arrest him."

"We have probable cause, right?" Bryant confirms.

"The photos and his son's statement about where they came from give us cause to move in, detain and question. Once he's in custody we can execute a search warrant."

"Right. Of course. Sorry, never handled anything like this before."

JJ lays a hand on her arm. "It's okay. Hopefully you never will again."

Bryant just nods. Hotch gets in her car with her as Reid and JJ take the SUV. She parks it where it partially blocks one of the parking area exits. Bryant uses her car to block the other. Vests on, Reid and JJ move into the woods to flank the building. She grabs Reid's arm.

"The rule, Spence?"

He grins. "We don't split up no matter what."

"Good boy," she says with a grin.

They get to the back and see that there is a cabin about 20 feet beyond the store. JJ keys her mike.

"Hotch? There's a cabin back here."

Hotch looks at Bryant. "What is the cabin back there?"

"I think it's where he stays when the weather is bad and he doesn't want to risk driving home. We have a lot of mudslides so if it rains too much it's safer to stay put rather than being on the road."

Hotch lifts his mike to his mouth. "It's Wittier's. He uses it in inclement weather. Check it out. Carefully."

"Right," JJ says.

She and Reid exchange a look before moving towards the cabin. JJ eases up beside the window and peers in. She frowns. It looks familiar.

"Spence…is this the place in the pictures?"

Reid moves from the edge of the porch to the window. He looks in and nods. "Definitely."

JJ raises her mike again. "Hotch, the cabin back here is the one from the photos."

"Copy. Back up has just arrived. Move to the back door. Four officers will cover you as you enter from the back as we go in the front."

"Copy."

JJ looks at Reid, who had heard the order. They are partway across the yard when a scream rips through the air. The two agents turn, trying to determine where the sound came from.

"Hotch?" JJ radios.

"We heard it. Where is it?"

"No idea. It sounded like it's all around us."

"Damn it. Okay, let's enter the store. Tell the officers to keep an eye on the tree line."

"Copy."

JJ and Reid make their way to the cabin. JJ passes on Hotch's order to the officers. They hear Hotch countdown and at 1 they enter the backdoor. They clear the two rooms in the back. As they move towards the front they hear Bryant curse.

The main store is empty. The office is not. Wittier's wife is dead, her face frozen in a mask of horror, her throat showing signs of strangulation. Hotch looks at the others.

"We need to get into the woods. We have to find him and save whoever was screaming."

The other three nod. Leaving two officers to watch the store, the 3 agents, 1 detective and 6 officers slowly move towards the tree line. They find three trails leading up into the hills. Hotch curses.

"JJ, take 2 officers up the hill to the right, Bryant, Reid, take 2 officers and go up the middle. The rest of you with me."

The teams split up. JJ and her two officers carefully climb, their guns at the ready. Just into the tree line, the path doglegs to the right, taking them further away from the others.

_"And of course I told Spence we don't split up. Good one, Prentiss,"_ she thinks to herself.

As they approach another dog leg, JJ kneels down. A bracelet lies on the path. It is clean. It could not have been there long. She points it out to the officers with her and she sees them tense with anticipation. She lifts her mike and lets the other two teams know what they have found. They then continue on up the trail. After 10 minutes she pauses and looks at one of the officers.

"What is that roaring?"

He listens a second then nods. "The ocean."

"Oh, crap…he's going to toss her into the ocean. Let's move!"

She starts to jog, the officers do their best to keep up. As they near the end of the tree line they hear screaming again.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T! I WON'T SAY ANYTHING! I SWEAR! PLEASE NO!"

"FBI! FREEZE! Malcolm Wittier let go of the woman and put your hands in the air!" JJ orders.

Malcolm spins around. He draws the woman to his chest and places a gun to her temple. "Drop your guns or I kill her!"

JJ shakes her head. "Not going to happen, Malcolm. It's over. Let her go and we tell the prosecutor you cooperated."

He laughs. "Why? So I can rot in a cell the rest of my life? Or so they can sentence me to death and I spend the next 20 years in solitary confinement while some hack lawyer tries to 'save' my life? Fuck that!"

JJ had continued to slowly walk towards him. She knows he has no compunction about killing the woman in his arms. She couldn't let that happen.

"Is this how you want your son to remember you? A coward? Killing yourself so you don't have to face the truth?"

He sneers. "My son is the shithead that turned me in! That's why my last kill was to be his asshole fiancé. But she ended up skipping work one day so I took this bitch instead."

JJ decides to take a gamble. "It's because she was at the doctor's office. She's pregnant with your grandchild."

The man stops dragging the woman towards the edge of the cliff. "She's…she's what?"

"She's pregnant with your grandchild, Malcolm. Don't you want to see that birth?" JJ swallows, sickened by her next statement. "You know, they say a lot of things skip a generation. Wouldn't you like to see what the next generation could inherit from you?"

He stops. The control freak in him wants to throw himself off the cliff so no one can rule him. But the narcissist in him wants to see if he could help mold a better killer.

"Just let her go now, Malcolm," JJ says, now just 5 feet away from the man and his prisoner.

Malcolm looks at the naked, abused woman in his arms. He caresses her cheek with his gun. He turns back to JJ as Reid, Bryant and their officers arrive in the clearing.

"I can watch from Hell!"

He swings his gun around and fires at the officers. He drags his captive towards the edge but JJ's bullet to his head drops him to the ground. Unfortunately, the weakened woman stumbles…and teeters on the edge.

"NO!" JJ screams as she races to grab for the woman. As the lady topples, JJ manages to leap and grab her ankle. The weight of the woman drags JJ towards the edge. She tries to drag her toes in the dirt, something to get them stopped…but she follows her over the edge.

_"Emily's going to kill me,"_ is her last thought as she sees the ocean far below her.


	13. Chapter 13

Reid had heard Bryant grunt after Malcolm fires. He can't take his eyes off the man that fired…until he sees the bullet wound open up in his temple. Reid is about to turn to Bryant when he sees the victim start to teeter over the edge.

"JJ! NO!"

He screams as JJ grabs the woman and they both disappear over the edge. He races to the edge and looks down.

"JJ!" he screams.

"SPENCE! HELP!" JJ responds.

He leans farther over and sees JJ on a small ledge, struggling to hold the woman by the legs.

"I'LL GET HELP!" He turns and looks to the two officers that had run up to him. "We need ropes. Hurry!"

He looks beyond them and sees another officer putting pressure on the arm of Detective Bryant. A few minutes later, Hotch comes barreling out of the woods. He looks around.

"JJ?"

Reid points over the side. "Here. I've sent for ropes."

Hotch races past him and looks over. "JJ?"

She doesn't answer. It is taking all she has to keep hold of the woman, who now hangs limp.

"Son of a bitch," Hotch mutters. "If Prentiss women don't stop going over cliffs I'm going to fucking retire."

It takes nearly 20 minutes for the officers to get back up with the ropes. Reid quickly fashions a slipknot with one. Hotch looks at him.

"A noose? Really?"

"If JJ can help me get it over the woman's ankles it will be the best knot to use. Well, the best I know how to tie, anyway. I use a lot of trick knots that are supposed to come undone in my magic act but I—"

"REID! Just do it!" Hotch bellows.

"Right. Okay. Done." He moves to the edge. "Jayje! Get the loop over her ankles and pull it tight."

JJ just nods. Reid quickly lowers the rope. JJ shifts enough to get a leg around the woman, pulling her tightly to the ledge so she feels safe using one hand to grab the rope.

"_A noose?"_ she thinks. "_Twisted, Spence."_

She gets it as tight as she can. "SPENCE! PULL!" she shouts.

Reid, Hotch and two officers slowly pull the unconscious woman up the side of the cliff. JJ breathes a sigh of relief when the woman disappears over the edge. Reid quickly gets the rope off the woman's ankles.

"Coming down, Jayje," he yells as he drops it down to her.

JJ slips the rope over her head and under her arms. She still thinks it's pretty damn twisted that he opted for a noose. As she stands to get ready to be pulled up, the ledge she is on crumbles.

"SPENCER!" she screams as she drops.

Luckily Hotch and the officers held the rope tightly as Reid leaps on top of it to anchor it even more.

"Try to stop your spinning," Reid yells down to JJ.

Fighting the urge to throw-up from the pain, JJ kicks out with her feet, trying to drag them along the cliff wall to still her movements. Once she is pretty stable the men start to pull her up. She uses her feet where she can to help. Finally, after what feels like forever, she is back on solid ground. She and her rescuers lay on their backs, gulping in air.

"Jareau?"

"Yeah, Hotch?"

"I know I didn't say it this time, but the whole 'don't jump off a cliff like your wife' warning is a permanent one."

JJ manages a smile. "Technically…didn't jump. Got pulled over."

"Either way. Next time you're both fired."

JJ chuckles. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Morgan and Rossi knock on Malcolm Wittier, Jr's door. His girlfriend opens it and sees the sad look in their eyes.

"Is he home?" Rossi asks.

She nods and steps to the side, ushering them in. Malcolm stares at them from the living room.

"I've been trying to reach my mother. She won't answer the house, store or cell phone."

Rossi sighs. "I'm sorry to tell you she was your father's last victim."

Malcolm drops onto the sofa, his face buried in his hands. His girlfriend races to his side. After a minute, he looks up, fury in his eyes.

"And that bastard of a father?"

"Dead. Killed by the agent who saved the last woman he kidnapped."

Malcolm sneers. "He got off too easily. He doesn't even have to face what the hell he did. Fucking BASTARD!"

Rossi steps to him and kneels down. "There is nothing we can say to make this easier on you. But remember, your father was the monster, not you. You stepped up and helped stop him. That's who _you_ are."

Malcolm just nods. The agents take their leave, knowing it would be a long time, if ever, before the man believed Rossi.

* * *

Reid is helping the police search for evidence in the Wittier's store. He has just closed a file cabinet that is just store records when he notices the three framed prints on the wall. The middle one is an aerial shot of Highway 1. He remembers that stretch of the road being where the two bodies were found.

The third is a picture, obviously taken by Wittier himself of the grove where the bodies were buried.

Reid swallows nervously as he lifts the first picture off the wall. He pulls it out of the frame. Nothing is written on the back. He flips it over again. It is another grouping of trees. Based on the type of paper the photo is printed on he guesses it is about 20 years old.

"Where are you?" he whispers to the picture.

"Reid? You about done in here?" Hotch asks from the doorway.

Reid turns to him. "I think I know why our age was off with the profile." He holds up the picture and points to the other two. "This was the first in a series of pictures. I have no idea where it is but you probably recognize the next two."

Hotch steps closer, nodding as he sees what the other two pictures represent. He sighs and looks at the picture in Reid's hand. "So that's his first burial site."

"Yes. And I have no idea where it is. Maybe Garcia can track him and his real name to get an idea where this is. Maybe it's- -"

Hotch sighs and looks around, interrupting. "It will be here. In this office or his house or his outbuilding, we will find the pictures and information that will lead us to his earlier victims. Let's leave it to the locals. A team from the state FBI office is on their way to continue to search for evidence. We're done here."

Reid nods. He puts the picture in an evidence bag and notes its significance. That done, he follow Hotch out to the SUV, where JJ is already waiting.

"Ready to go?" she asks them.

Hotch nods. "Yes. We'll fly home in the morning. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Won't hear me arguing," JJ says as she climbs in the SUV. She sighs. One more night until she can hold her family again. One night. She can make it.

Because at least she is still around _to_ hold them.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey, baby. It's over," JJ says as she packs up her briefcase.

"Over? How over?"

"Wittier's dead. Unfortunately not before he killed his wife. But we did manage to save the last woman he took."

"Thank God for that," Emily says as she runs a hand over her sleeping son. "You all flying back tonight?"

"Tomorrow morning. Rossi and Morgan are driving back down. And it will give the locals time to clear my shooting as good."

Emily pauses. "You…you killed him?"

"Yeah."

Emily steps out of Henry's room, not wanting to have this conversation about death in a room of life.

"What are you not saying, Jen?"

JJ sighs. "Please, Em, can I tell you in person? It would mean a lot to me if I could."

Emily bites her lip. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just…a bit bruised but fine. Please, let me explain tomorrow, okay?"

Emily sighs and nods. "Okay. I love you, Jen. Whatever you have to say all I care about is that you are alright. Trust that, baby."

JJ squeezes her eyes against the tears that well in them. "I do, Em. Swear."

"Call me if you need to, Jen. I don't care what time."

"I will. Spence, Hotch and I are heading to dinner then the hotel. I'll call you before I go to sleep."

"Good. I'll be awake. I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

"I love you, too, Emily Prentiss," JJ says, her voice choked with emotion.

* * *

At 2:30 Saturday afternoon Emily hears JJ's car pulling into the driveway. She smiles at Henry, who she is building blocks with.

"I think I hear Mommy!"

Henry leaps up. "MOMMY!"

He runs towards the garage door. Before Emily can correct him, the front door opens. He skids to a stop and spins around. "MOMMY!"

JJ steps inside and drops to her knees. He races into her arms giving her a big hug and kiss. Emily notices the way she winces as she holds their son.

"_That's not from the accident,"_ Emily says to herself. Suddenly she knows she's really not going to like hearing how the case ended.

She walks up and listens to Henry give JJ a run down of EVERYTHING she had missed the last 4 days. When he finally stops to take a breath, she runs her hand over his head.

"Hey, Champ, mind if I give Mommy a hug?"

Henry shakes his head and steps away. Emily offers her hand to JJ and pulls her up. She sees the haunted look in her wife's eyes. Emily strokes a hand through her hair.

"Whatever it is, all that matters is you're home," she assures her wife.

JJ nods, tears in her eyes as Emily pulls her close. The hug, the support, the love…all serve to steady the blonde.

"I love you, Em."

"Love you, too, baby."

* * *

It is not until both children are down for the night that JJ finally tells Emily exactly what happened up on that cliff. Emily's stomach does a summersault.

"Oh, baby." She holds her wife close. "I am so proud of you for stopping that bastard and saving that woman. You truly are my hero."

JJ laughs through her tears. "I never even thought, Em. Not until they were getting ready to pull me up and the ledge gave way. How the hell it held on as long as it did I…I just don't know."

Emily kisses her wife's temple. "Don't try to figure that out. Just be thankful it did. No what if's, remember?"

JJ nods against Emily's shoulder. "I remember."

"Come on. Let me get a look at the damage you did to that sexy body."

JJ grins. "You just want to get me naked."

Emily grins, happy to see the spark coming back in JJ's eyes. "Maybe. You complaining?"

JJ leans up and kisses her wife. "Mmmmm…never."

Emily helps JJ get her shirt and bra off. The brunette winces at the deep bruising under JJ's arms and across her shoulder.

"Oh, my sweet love," Emily mutters. As she eases JJ's pants down, she sees the bruises across the tops of her thighs. "Oh, Jen…"

JJ strokes her hand through Emily's hair. "I'm okay, Em. I promise."

Emily looks up at her wife. She runs her hands up and down JJ's legs. "You're beautiful, Jen. Always."

Emily leans forward and places a gentle kiss between JJ's legs. JJ moans, her fingers tangling in Emily's hair. Emily kisses her way up JJ's body, her hands placing gentle caresses everywhere they can reach. JJ moans at the attention lavished upon her. She grabs Emily's shirt.

"Off. Now. Please. Need to feel you."

Emily is quickly stripped. She eases her wife down on the bed and starts to tenderly kiss all the bruises that mar the golden skin of her wife. JJ moans, her body arching up.

"Em…please…don't tease…not now…please…"

Emily wants 2 things: to take her time loving her wife and to obey her wife's wish. Those wants countermand each other…so she chooses JJ. She slides her hand between JJ's legs, finding her wife already wet and ready.

"Oh, Jennifer…"

Her mouth captures her wife's. Their tongues dance together, both gently and urgently. Emily gently thrusts one finger into her wife. JJ moans. Emily pumps in and out, adding a second finger as her palm rubs JJ's throbbing clit. She breaks the kiss and stares into cobalt eyes.

"I love you, Jennifer Prentiss. And I am so proud to be your wife."

JJ grabs Emily by the back of the head and pulls her down into another kiss as her hand moves between them, finding Emily also wet and ready. She pushes into her wife, matching her tempo and depth.

"OH! Oh, Jen!" Emily mutters against her wife's mouth.

Their tongues start to spin and reach in time with their hands. In just minutes both women come, their screams of ecstasy thundering into each other's mouth. As they come down from the high, Emily sits up and stares into her wife's eyes.

"Te amo, Jennifer."

"Now and always, Emily."

They kiss again. JJ then rolls them so she is on top. "I need more, Em. Please."

"Whatever you need, whenever you need it, Jen. That's always been my vow to you."

JJ kisses her wife again, then starts to work her way lower. She gently kisses her wife's breasts, then continues lower. Emily moans, her legs spreading as JJ settles between them. Emily arches up as JJ drags her tongue up her wife's center. JJ's tongue dives in deep, twirling and licking as Emily writhes below her. When she sees Emily's clit full and ready she sucks it into her mouth as she pushes two fingers into her wife. She thrusts her own center against the bed as she works her wife with her mouth and hand. She uses her free hand to work her own clit. And when she knows Emily is close she adds a third finger, pushing Emily over the edge.

"JEEEN! Oh, YESSSS!"

JJ comes just from her wife's response and a few flicks of her own clit. She slowly crawls back up. She stares down into Emily's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

JJ lays down, her head on Emily's shoulder. Emily holds her close, kissing her temple. It isn't long until she feels the expected tears.

"Don't cry, Jennifer. The worst didn't happen. You're here. Everything will be okay."

JJ just nods, letting her wife's words and heartbeat soothe her to sleep. Once she is asleep, Emily kisses her temple.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, baby. You are my rock. I love you so much."

Finally able to let her tears flow freely, Emily cries herself to sleep knowing how close she'd come to losing her wife.


End file.
